


I Didn't Know I Was...

by Fly_Kitty7000



Series: I Didn't Know... [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom Spencer, Breastfeeding, Breasts, Concerned Derek, Concerned Friends, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Happy Ending, Hermaphrodites, Intersex, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Male Mothers, Male Slash, Males with Female Characteristics, Males with Female Names, Mpreg, OOC, Oblivious Spencer, Oral Sex, Out of Character, Pain, Pregnant Spencer, Rimming, Slash, Spencer is called Mommy, Top Derek, Unplanned Pregnancy, male breasts, natural birth, unknown pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-12 08:48:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4472945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fly_Kitty7000/pseuds/Fly_Kitty7000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Spencer starts gaining weight for no apparent reason, he is left confused and concerned until one day, everything comes to a head and he realizes what's been happening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Just Didn't Notice Before

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I wrote this as a play on the show "I didn't know I was pregnant" where everyone is just oblivious to the obvious fact that the person is pregnant lol! Two things about this (and most of my stories that I'll be posting on here): 1. I always write Spencer as shorter than Derek and with a higher voice than he has on the show because I just like it like that (but if you don't, just imagine him however you want it, it won't affect the story!) and 2. My mpreg stories all center around intersexed males divided into 5 different fake categories. I'll post a brief explanation of the 5 at the end of this chapter if anyone is interested! Anyway, hope you like it! Don't forget to leave kudos and comments! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters therein. I just take them and do what I want with them (which is why they may read a little OOC even though I always try to keep each character's center, or what makes them the way they are, unless otherwise noted). If you don't like the story, please don't read it. All hateful comments or flames will be immediately deleted or marked as spam. I do, however, accept and welcome constructive criticism, opinions, and other comments as long as they are made in good taste. Thank you for reading and being respectful to me, as a human being, and my work in general. Please enjoy!

“You’ve gained some weight, baby,” Derek Morgan said as he lay on his back, completely naked, on the bed with his arms behind his head. He was watching his lover, Spencer Reid, get undressed and when Spencer pulled his shirt off, Derek had noticed that his usually concave stomach was now sticking out slightly, threatening to hang over the waistband of his pants.

 

Spencer Reid, who had been in the process of unbuckling his belt and taking it off, suddenly stopped his movements and stared at Derek on the bed. His jaw fell open slightly and his brows wrinkled as he tried to process what his lover had just said. Spencer then blinked his eyes a few times and cleared his throat. “Has anyone ever told you how charming you are?” he said, his words dripping with sarcasm. He then turned around walked into the large bathroom connected to the master bedroom and shut the door.

 

“Spencer, where are you going?” Derek yelled after him, completely shocked at his lover’s reaction. On second thought, however, Derek realized that his statement could have sounded somewhat like an insult. He groaned and got off the bed, knowing that Spencer was a very self-conscious person, and berated himself for his momentary lapse in judgment. “Baby?” he said softly, leaning against the bathroom door. He tried to turn the knob when there was no answer, but found it was locked. “Baby, come on. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Please, come out, baby boy.” When there was still no answer, Derek decided to change tactics, knowing his next words would probably put him in the doghouse for a while but at least it would get Spencer to open the door and talk to him. “Baby, you know when you take your clothes off, I’m only ever thinking of one thing… and that’s a little bit further south than your stomach!”

 

Just as Derek had predicted, the bathroom door suddenly flew open and Spencer stood there with an incredulous look on his face, as if he couldn’t believe that Derek had just said that. “I am _not_ a sex object, Derek Morgan!” he practically shouted at the dark, well-built man who was almost four inches taller than he was.

 

However, when he saw the mischievous grin on Derek’s face, he sighed, realizing that Derek had only said that so that Spencer would open the door. “No you aren’t, baby boy,” Derek said affectionately, his grin growing wider. “You’re more like a sex god!”

 

Spencer chuckled at Derek’s playful complement and looked down and away from Derek as a blush creeped up his neck and to his cheeks. Looking down gave Spencer a full view of his slightly protruding belly, though. He put his hand on it and said quietly, “I guess I _have_ gained a few pounds. You know, I didn’t even notice it until you said something.” He then turned around and brought out a bathroom scale from under the sink. He stepped on it and waited until it read correctly, then gasped at what it said. He backed away from it with a horrified look on his face and almost fell into the bathtub. “Oh my god, I’ve gained fifteen and a half pounds! The last time I was weighed was at my routine physical six months ago and then, I weighed 126 pounds, which means that I was technically underweight, but I haven’t gained a pound in nine years! Not since I turned 18! And now, suddenly, I weigh 141.5 pounds only six months later? I mean, that puts me at normal weight, but something has to be wrong! Maybe I should see a doctor –”

 

“Spencer, Spencer,” Derek interrupted, rushing over to his distressed lover and pulled him into a tight hug. “Calm down, baby, you’re ok. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

 

“I’ve just been really hungry lately and I’ve never had to worry about what or how much I eat because I don’t gain weight –”

 

“Spencer,” Derek said softly, interrupting him one more time. He drew back somewhat and gently grabbed the younger man’s chin so that Spencer had to look up at him. “It’s ok. This is what happens when people get older, baby boy.” Derek chuckled slightly and bent his head to kiss his lover lightly on the lips. Even though Spencer _was_ only around four inches shorter than Derek, he couldn’t help but notice that Spencer always seemed to shrink within himself when he was upset in any way. Derek always found Spencer’s petite form to be endearing but he never enjoyed when Spencer felt like he needed to make himself smaller to disappear from the situation. Derek chuckled a little and, trying to make Spencer feel better, said, “I wouldn’t care if you weighed 300 pounds, baby boy. I just want you to be happy.”

 

Spencer’s eyes widened and he whispered, “I don’t want to weigh 300 pounds.”

 

At that, Derek laughed out loud and gave Spencer another big hug. “Oh god, I love you so much, pretty boy.”

 

Spencer chuckled nervously but hugged Derek back and softly said, “I love you too.” After a moment, however, Spencer pulled back and looked up at Derek, worry etched on his face. “Do you want me to go on a diet?”

 

“Not unless you want to do it for yourself, baby boy,” Derek said seriously but affectionately. “No matter what you look like, you’ll always be my pretty boy.”

 

“You don’t think I’m fat and disgusting?”

 

“No,” Derek answered immediately, shocked that Spencer would even suggest the notion. “Not at all, baby… and I never will either.”

 

“Okay,” Spencer said, still sounding uncertain. He looked down away from Derek’s face, and crossed his arms over chest.

 

Derek, seeing that Spencer didn’t really believe him, leaned down and kissed him savagely, his tongue forcing its way into Spencer’s mouth.

 

Spencer closed his eyes and moaned, leaning more into Derek’s body as he curled his tongue around Derek’s. As the kiss went on, Spencer slowly uncurled his arms around himself and put them around Derek’s waist, his hands reaching down to cup his naked butt cheeks.

 

Derek eventually pulled away, leaving Spencer almost gasping for air. He opened his eyes and looked at Derek, who was smiling. Derek leaned down to Spencer’s ear and, in a low, breathy voice, said, “Let me show you just how beautiful you are.”

 

Spencer let out a soft moan in anticipation as he bit his lower lip. He slowly nodded his head and brought his hands down to his pants to take them off.

 

Derek’s hands joined his and he whispered, “Let me do that.”

 

Spencer dropped his hands and let Derek unbutton and unzip his pants. Derek then shoved Spencer’s pants and boxer briefs down off his hips, releasing Spencer’s growing erection. The clothes hit the bathroom floor with a soft _thud_ , then Derek grabbed Spencer’s hand and pulled him from the bathroom back into the bedroom. Derek then gently shoved Spencer onto the bed and spread his legs. Derek knelt in between Spencer’s legs and leaned down to attack his mouth.

 

Spencer reached his hands up and put one on the back of Derek’s head and the other on Derek’s shoulder.

 

Derek used one hand to prop himself up and let his other hand wander. He first combed through Spencer’s long hair, then slowly slid his hand down Spencer’s neck to his chest. He then brought his palm down to Spencer’s newly bulging abdomen, which Derek personally thought was kinda cute. He was slightly surprised when he discovered that the little protrusion was firm rather than squishy, but just filed that away to possibly bring up later when his mind wasn’t preoccupied with sex.

 

As Derek’s hand wandered lower, Spencer let out a moan of pleasure and anticipation, which made Derek smile and move his lips from Spencer’s mouth down to his neck. “Oh, Derek,” Spencer moaned as soon as his mouth was free to talk. His eyes were closed and he was slowly moving his head back and forth on the pillow. His breathing became more labored as he felt Derek grip his manhood and begin the stroke painfully slow.

 

Derek continued to kiss, lick, and suck at Spencer’s neck and collarbone as he breathlessly asked, “What do you want, baby boy? Tell me what you want.”

 

Spencer started to pant as Derek’s thumb caressed the slit at the end of his shaft, spreading the pre-ejaculate around the head. “I… I wa-want…” Spencer stuttered, trying to talk through his heavy breathing.

 

Derek chuckled lightly and looked up at Spencer’s face, not surprised to see his eyes closed and his mouth open as he made little keening noises, easily getting off just on Derek’s light touches. “Come on, baby,” he said as he angled his head then licked down Spencer’s side all the way to his hip. “Tell me what you want.”

 

Spencer made a noise of frustration as he tried think of the words to say, but everything except for pleasure was quickly leaving his consciousness. “I wa… want… mmmmm… y-you,” he finally struggled out before he felt Derek swiftly engulf his shaft in his mouth. Spencer let out a loud moan, closer to a scream than anything, as Derek bobbed his head, slowly taking even more of Spencer’s member into his mouth.

 

The first time Derek had seen Spencer naked, Derek was delightfully surprised at the size of Spencer’s manhood. It wasn’t as if Derek had expected him to be small, but Derek certainly never expected the eight-inch piston that sprang forward to greet him. If Derek hadn’t already claimed Spencer as his, he would have been jealous. Derek wasn’t without his own merits, however, and he noticed that Spencer seemed to appreciate them just fine. Whereas Spencer was long and on the thin-side, Derek was shorter and had much more girth when he was fully hard. Because of this, anytime the couple had penetrative sex, Derek had to prepare Spencer for a longer amount of time than Spencer may have needed to be prepared for another lover. Derek had gotten too excited and penetrated before Spencer was ready in the past, but that always ended up with Spencer bleeding and not being able to walk or sit properly for almost a day after.

 

Considering this, Derek took his mouth off of Spencer’s shaft and reached up to the bedside table where a large pump-bottle of lubrication sat. Spencer started to whimper in annoyance at being left unfulfilled, until he opened his eyes and realized what Derek was doing.

 

Derek laughed a little and shook his head at Spencer as he covered his fingers in the coffee-scented gel Derek had bought for Spencer as a Valentine’s Day surprise. “What do you want, baby?” he asked in a gravelly voice as Spencer started to pant and keen again, restless from the sudden loss of contact.

 

Spencer closed his eyes in concentration as Derek got back in his kneeling position. “I wa-want…” Spencer panted, “want you… inside m-me.”

 

Derek’s arousal increased exponentially at hearing Spencer say that, making him groan. His erection was almost painfully hard and heavy and he ached for contact and release, but he knew he had to get Spencer ready so he didn’t hurt him.

 

Derek bent down and licked up the underside of Spencer’s shaft before he took him in his mouth once again. He began to rub at Spencer’s sac with one hand, while with his other hand, Derek took his slicked-up fingers and traced a pattern down Spencer’s perineum and circled around his entrance. Then, without warning, he shoved his index finger into the small pucker and past the ring of muscles, making Spencer cry out loud.

 

Spencer seemed to finally find his voice as he loudly moaned, “Oh, god! Derek, I want you so bad.”

 

Derek smiled around Spencer’s member and hummed, making Spencer moan again. Derek slowly pumped and twisted his finger around in Spencer’s tight channel and as soon as he felt the muscles relax slightly, he added his middle finger and pumped a little harder. Spencer started panting again and Derek knew that he was quickly coming undone. Derek scissored his fingers and twisted his hand, trying to stretch his lover to compensate Derek’s girth before Spencer was completely overwhelmed. However, Derek’s fingers suddenly rubbed against Spencer’s prostate and it was all too much for the young doctor. Spencer came hard into Derek’s mouth without warning, but Derek only choked once before he swallowed everything Spencer had to offer.

 

Spencer’s whole body relaxed as he floated on his orgasmic high. He eventually opened his eyes and looked down at Derek, who was still trying to stretch his lover as he slowly trailed kisses up to Spencer’s belly button. When Spencer could speak again, he breathlessly said, “Sorry.”

 

Derek smiled and looked up at his lover and said, “Don’t be. I know you still have more in you.” He winked and chuckled slightly when Spencer softly moaned. Another thing Derek had been delightfully surprised about in the beginning was Spencer’s quick recovery time. Derek had gleefully discovered through trial and error that, if he pushed hard enough, he could make Spencer orgasm three or four times in one round.

 

When Derek added a third finger in his preparations, Spencer moaned louder and his member started to fill and become hard once again. Derek let out a breathy laugh and said, “Told you.”

 

Spencer rolled his eyes and groaned at Derek but that groan quickly became an impatient whimper as Derek removed his fingers. “Need you! N-now!” Spencer practically yelled as he grabbed Derek’s hips and wrapped his legs around Derek’s waist.

 

“Hold on, baby boy. Be patient,” Derek responded as he regretfully untangled himself from Spencer long enough to reach over for another pump of lube.

 

Spencer gasped and sobbed impatiently as Derek slicked himself up. After a moment, however, Spencer could feel the head of Derek’s erection pushing against his entrance. Spencer started to pant in anticipation as Derek slowly pushed his way into the tight, pulsing channel. Even though Spencer was fully prepared, the intrusion still burned and Spencer closed his eyes and hissed in slight discomfort.

 

“You ok, baby?” Derek asked as he halted his movement.

 

“Yes, yes I’m fine!” Spencer said impatiently as he wiggled his hips, silently telling Derek it was ok to keep going.

 

Derek nodded and continued slowly pushing forward until he was fully sheathed inside his lover. Derek looked down at the panting genius under him, admiring the beauty that was Spencer Reid overcome with pleasure. Derek was impatient to get started and to continue pleasing the man who had brought him so much joy over the years, but he refused to move without permission.

 

After a moment, Spencer opened his eyes and looked Derek in the face. Spencer then lifted his legs and hooked them on Derek’s shoulders. He took a deep breath and nodded his head.

 

Derek understood and gripped Spencer’s hips in his strong hands. He then pulled his shaft out until only the head was left inside the lithe body. He took a deep breath and made sure his grip was secure before he slammed back in, causing Spencer to throw his head back against the pillows and wail loudly. “Oh god, Derek! Harder! Please!” he practically screamed.

 

“With pleasure,” Derek responded breathlessly as he drew out again and then pounded back into his lover. He set a breathtaking pace, knowing that neither of them was in the mood for anything slower.

 

With each of Derek’s thrusts, Spencer pushed his hips down onto him, trying to take him further and further inside. He reached up to the headboard and tried to grasp onto something, needing something to anchor him as he slowly lost control of his body, letting passion and lust fully take him into sweet oblivion.

 

Derek, seeing the signs of Spencer reaching his peak, took one of his hands off of Spencer’s hip to instead grip his now straining erection.

 

Spencer moaned loudly when he felt Derek’s hand stoking his manhood in time with his thrusts. After a few strokes, however, the combined stimulation was too much and Spencer came violently, screaming in pleasure as long white tendrils coated Derek’s hand and Spencer’s stomach alike.

 

Derek continued to thrust erratically as he felt Spencer’s inner muscles clench around Derek’s shaft. A moment later, Derek gave one final push into Spencer’s hot body as he reached his own orgasm, groaning long and low as his molten seed shot into Spencer’s depths.

 

The next few minutes were filled with panting as the two men tried to catch their breaths. Derek shifted and extracted his spent member from Spencer’s channel, chuckling slightly when Spencer whimpered at the loss.

 

Spencer was almost asleep when Derek got off the bed to grab a wet rag from the bathroom. Derek had known before they started dating that Spencer put his all into everything he did, trying his best to be perfectly successful in each task. Derek was absolutely thrilled when he found out that this determination extended to lovemaking. When he and Derek were together, Spencer gave over everything he was and held nothing back, trusting Derek not to take advantage as Spencer made himself vulnerable to him (and Derek, knowing how rare it was for Spencer to trust anyone to that capacity, did not take this lightly and never wanted Spencer to regret that trust).

 

However, because Spencer _did_ give his all to his and Derek’s lovemaking, Spencer often fell asleep rather quickly after his final orgasm. Derek really didn’t mind though. He took just as much pleasure in the after-care as he did in the act itself. That was why Derek still had a large smile on his face as he walked back into the bedroom, with the rag, and over to Spencer, who was not quite asleep but definitely still riding his pleasure high.

 

Derek gently wiped Spencer’s chest and stomach, moving slowly down to the more sensitive skin. Spencer moaned slightly as Derek cleaned his manhood and then moved down to his abused hole.

 

“Mmmmm… Derek?” Spencer questioned when he felt Derek gently washing his intimate areas with the wet rag.

 

“Shhhh,” Derek soothed as he continued his ministrations. “It’s just me, baby boy. Just relax.”

 

Spencer sighed heavily and did as Derek said, relaxing into the light touches.

 

When Derek was finished with Spencer, he quickly took the rag and cleaned himself off. Then he climbed into bed next to his lightly dozing lover and pulled Spencer in close. Spencer turned into Derek’s touch and laid his head on Derek’s chest as Derek slowly ran his hand through Spencer’s sweat-soaked hair. “I love you, Spencer,” he whispered.

 

Spencer mumbled softly and snuggled in closer to the warmth and safety that Derek provided.

 

Derek smiled and hugged Spencer tighter. Then he closed his eyes and joined his lover in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Categories of Intersexed People:
> 
> Category A - Males or Females with correct reproductive organs but also containing partially formed organs from the opposite gender (ex. A female child containing 100% of her correct reproductive organs but who also contains an under-formed, un-dropped testicle attached to her ovary or a male child containing 100% of his correct reproductive organs but who also contains a floating ovary)
> 
> Category B - Males or Females with correct reproductive organs but also containing fully formed organs from the opposite gender (ex. A male child containing 100% of his correct reproductive organs but who also contains a floating uterus and ovaries that are not attached to any other organ in the body or a female child containing 100% of her correct reproductive organs but who also contains fully formed, un-dropped testicles)
> 
> Category C - Males or Females with partially formed reproductive organs from both genders (ex. A child who has incomplete sets of both sexual organs, such as a child containing a uterus and vagina with vaginal opening, but instead of having ovaries, has a fully formed scrotum)
> 
> Category Q - This category only includes males and are males with full sets of both male and female reproductive organs but only the male organs are visible externally and the vaginal opening is located in the rectum
> 
> Category X - A person who is fully both male and female, having visible male reproductive organs as well as an external vaginal opening located behind the penis where the perineum should be on a "normal" male


	2. Something's Wrong

Two weeks later and Spencer was still concerned about his seemingly random weight gain.

 

“Spencer, you just had your physical six months ago,” Derek said exasperatedly, slightly annoyed at his boyfriend. He didn’t personally think that a little weight gain was anything to really worry about and he didn’t understand why Spencer was freaking out.

 

“Yes, Derek, but all the doctor did was weigh me and look me over a little!” Spencer said, his voice slightly higher than normal. “He didn’t take my blood or anything and at the time, there was nothing really different to report to him.”

 

Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a slight headache coming on. Derek and Spencer had just gotten home from work and were trying to relax a little before they had dinner. However, it seemed that Spencer couldn’t relax much anymore, his thoughts always coming back to his weight gain.

 

Spencer knew that he was probably overreacting, but he couldn’t help it. Derek didn’t understand just how big of a deal it was for Spencer to gain weight like this. He just knew something was wrong. At the same time, though, he was afraid to go back to the doctor for fear that he would either tell Spencer that nothing was wrong or that Spencer had some awful, life-threatening disease. Spencer wasn’t prepared for either of those answers, so he’d just resigned himself to worrying.

 

Derek looked over at Spencer, who was curled up on the single chair with his knees as far up to his chest as he could manage with his little belly in the way. In the two weeks since Spencer had first weighed himself, he had gained another three pounds. Most of the new weight seemed to be centralized in his midsection, which was oddly rounded and firm. Derek knew that this wasn’t normal for just regular weight gain, but he really didn’t think that it was anything to worry about either. After all, Spencer was far from normal on every other scale and characteristic. Why should this be any different?

 

“Have you been feeling sick or anything?” Derek asked, trying to help Spencer categorize his symptoms. Even though he honestly didn’t think that there was anything wrong with his boyfriend, Derek really didn’t want to take any chances either.

 

“No, not really,” Spencer answered as he bit his lower lip in thought. “I mean, I’ve gotten nauseous a couple of times in the past few months, but I really don’t its related.”

 

Derek nodded and thought about this, but then his eyes grew wide as a possible diagnosis came to mind. He knew that Spencer was a Category Q intersexed male, meaning that he had both male and female reproductive organs, even though only the male organs were visible. Instead of the vaginal opening being external, it was attached to the rectum diagonally so that the opening was still pointing down. According to what Spencer had told him when they first started dating, Spencer’s body produced estrogen as well as testosterone, eggs as well as sperm, and that he had a menstrual cycle. What if… “Spencer, when was the last time you had a period?”

 

Spencer cocked his eyebrow in confusion at Derek’s question, but answered anyway. “I haven’t had a real period in a few years. I mean, I still have my cycle, but I don’t really bleed that often because I’m too thin.” Spencer then looked down at his swollen belly and scoffed. “At least, I _was_ too thin.”

 

Derek sighed and leveled a serious look at his boyfriend. “Spencer… do you think… I mean… could you be… pregnant?”

 

“What? No!” Spencer answered immediately, almost looking offended. “ I told you, my doctors told me a long time ago that it would be a miracle if I ever got pregnant. They tested me and I’m infertile! I’m barren! I told you this! Not only does my body not produce enough eggs to ever get pregnant, but it also doesn’t make enough sperm to ever get anyone else pregnant!”

 

“I know, Spencer, but I still believe in miracles,” Derek said in a calm voice, knowing that this was a sensitive subject for Spencer. Not many people knew that Spencer wanted children and he felt as if that possibility had been taken from him when he found out that he had such low counts of everything he was almost sterile.

 

“Well, I don’t, Derek,” Spencer snapped. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t,” he practically whispered. “I just can’t let myself hope like that. I can’t believe that it’s a possibility because it will just hurt so much worse when it’s not true.”

 

“I know, baby,” Derek answered in a quiet voice as he put his hand on Spencer’s knee. “I know.”

 

They were both silent for a few minutes as they tried to gather their respective thoughts. Derek rubbed Spencer’s leg from his place on the end of the couch while Spencer tried to control his breathing. Derek knew Spencer was trying to calm down and think about something besides his (in Spencer’s opinion) bodily deficiencies. Derek was aware that children and pregnancy were touchy subjects, but he felt he had to raise the possibility just in case.

 

“Well, Spencer, I’m not sure what else to say,” Derek said, breaking the silence. He shrugged and asked, “Have you been watching what you eat? I mean, if this _is_ normal weight gain, which it probably is, then watching what you eat would probably help you to stop gaining and start losing back to where you want to be.”

 

Spencer looked at his knees and blushed slightly. “I’ve honestly been trying, Derek. It’s just hard to do something that I’ve never had to do before.”

 

“I know, sweetheart, but that’s the only recommendation I have other than going to the doctor.”

 

“I don’t want to go to the doctor,” Spencer said softly but firmly. “I don’t think I could accept the answers the doctor would give at the moment.”

 

Derek sighed but nodded his head, almost in resignation. He knew that he’d never be able to make Spencer see a doctor if he didn’t want to… unless Derek physically dragged him there, which was something that he really did _not_ want to do. Not only would that be embarrassing for Spencer, but Derek might get some unwanted attention for manhandling someone like that.

 

Derek gave Spencer’s knee a squeeze before he got up off the couch and said, “I’ll make dinner. Do you have any ideas?”

 

Spencer looked up at Derek and gave a small smile. “Spaghetti, maybe?”

 

Derek smiled back and said, “No problem.”

 

He turned and was heading toward the kitchen when he heard Spencer call, “Derek, wait!”

 

Derek stopped and turned back to look at Spencer, who had uncurled himself from his ball and was now standing beside the chair he was previously sitting up on. Derek smiled and, wanting to lighten the mood, said, “What, did you change your mind already? I thought chicks were the only ones allowed to do that.”

 

Spencer let out a huff and looked slightly indignant. “I have every right to change my mind whenever I want to, Derek Morgan,” he said with his hands on his hips. However, his posture melted almost immediately and a sad smile graced his face. “That’s not what I wanted to say though.” He took a deep breath and walked toward Derek, stopping right in front of his boyfriend and looking him in the eyes. “I wanted to apologize. I know that I have been annoying and obsessive lately but… but I… I’m just scared, I guess.”

 

Derek brought Spencer into a strong hug, trying comfort his distressed lover. “I know, baby boy. I know you’re scared and worried, but you can’t stop living your life because of something that _might_ be wrong.” He sighed and kissed the top of Spencer’s head, reveling in how the silky locks felt against his lips. “It’s ok to be worried. I just hate seeing you struggling like this. I wish I could help you.”

 

Spencer pulled back slightly to look up at Derek and said, “You help more than you know.” He then leaned in for a kiss, which Derek immediately returned.

 

* * *

 

 

Jennifer Jareau, aka JJ, looked out of her office window down into the bullpen of the BAU offices of the FBI. She was spying on the man she considered her adopted little brother. He had been acting slightly stranger than was normal for him lately and she was concerned that something had happened.

 

She sighed and quickly typed out a text on her phone: ‘ _Meet me in my office? 10 mins or whenever ur free?_ ’

 

She then looked out the window at Spencer once more, who was checking his phone. After a moment, he looked directly up at her and cocked his head in confusion. A second later, however, he shrugged and nodded his head.

 

JJ smiled and went back to her work.

 

Exactly ten minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. “Come in, Spence,” she said without looking up.

 

Spencer walked in the office and shut the door behind him. “What did you need to see me about?” he asked softly.

 

JJ looked up at Spencer and saw confusion written all over his face. She smiled gently and said, “Go ahead and sit down.” After he was seated, she leveled a serious look at him, which made him raise his eyebrows in surprise. “Is everything alright with you?”

 

Spencer cleared his throat and answered, “Uh, yeah, I think so… Why?”

 

“You’ve just seemed really stressed lately. And you’ve been putting on weight, which is a good thing overall because God knows you’re too skinny as it is, but I’m still worried about you,” JJ said rather quickly.

 

Spencer blushed and looked down at his knees. Unfortunately, this position also gave him full view of the weight gain that JJ had referenced. He had hoped that he had hidden his new belly well enough from the team since not even Derek had really noticed it until a little over two weeks ago. However, it seemed as if he couldn’t hide anything from his honorary big sister. That thought made him smile slightly because at least he knew that people cared enough about him to notice things like that. After a few deep breaths, Spencer looked back up at JJ, who oozed concern and curiosity even though she was trying to give him time to answer. “I’ve been stressed and worried _because_ of my weight gain, actually. I know that sounds vain but, as I told Derek, I haven’t gained an ounce in nine years and all of a sudden, I gain eighteen and a half pounds in a little under seven months? That’s a big deal for me.”

 

“Have you been to the doctor?” JJ asked, her eyebrows crinkled together, slightly worried.

 

“I had my annual physical almost seven months ago and nothing seemed wrong then,” Spencer sighed out and rubbed his hands over his face.

 

“Spencer Reid, you need to go to the doctor,” JJ ordered, immediately changing from a friend to a mom.

 

Spencer chuckled slightly at being ordered around like that. He then sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I can’t,” he said softly, not quite meeting JJ’s eyes.

 

“What do you mean, you can’t?” JJ asked incredulously, her eyes wide. “Of course you can! Hotch will approve a day off to go see a doctor. You need to find out if something serious is wrong, Spence! You –”

 

“JJ!” Spencer said loudly, effectively interrupting her tirade. He then shook his head and said, almost shamefacedly, “I can’t go to the doctor because I just cannot handle what I know he will say.”

 

“What are you talking about? Do you know what’s wrong?” JJ asked, trying to be patient with Spencer’s perplexing behavior, but quickly losing that patience in favor of annoyance.

 

“Not really,” Spencer answered, looking up at the ceiling. He just couldn’t look down at his, in his own opinion, disgustingly swollen belly, and he really couldn’t look JJ in the eye as he tried to explain his predicament. “I just… I _know_ that a doctor is going to either tell me that there is nothing wrong and that I have just been freaking out over simple weight gain, which makes me look incredibly shallow and superficial, or he’s going to tell me that there is something seriously wrong and I only have two weeks to live or something because there is no cure. Logically, I know that I need to make sure that I don’t have cancer or something that can be cured or cut out, but emotionally, I’m not ready to find out. I just can’t, JJ.”

 

JJ immediately got up out of her chair and walked over to kneel in front of Spencer. She grabbed his hand with one of hers and, with her other hand, she reached up to cup his cheek, gently tilting his head so he had to at least look in her direction. “Spencer, I know that you’re scared, but you _need_ to get checked out. Please. I couldn’t stand it if you had something that could’ve been cured but you didn’t do anything to take care of it or something.”

 

Spencer took a few calming breaths, touched by her concern. “Ok,” he said softly, slightly nodding his head. “If nothing changes in a week or so, I’ll see a doctor. Fair?”

 

JJ smiled and pulled Spencer into a hug. “Very fair.” She then kissed his forehead and stood up, keeping one of her hands on his shoulder. “You should probably get back to work now or Morgan is going to think I kidnapped you.”

 

Spencer laughed out loud at that and smiled up at the woman who really was like a big sister to him. “You’re right. Wouldn’t want him kicking your door down or anything.”

 

JJ laughed and patted Spencer’s shoulder before she walked back around her desk and sat down.

 

Spencer then got to his feet and walked toward the door. With his hand on the door handle, he turned around and said, “Thanks for caring, JJ.”

 

“Of course, Spence! I will always care about you,” she answered earnestly, making sure that he knew how serious she was.

 

Spencer smiled, opened the door, and walked back down into the bullpen.

 

* * *

 

 

Penelope Garcia sat in her dark-but-still-rather-cozy office and chewed on her fingernails. She knew something was going on with her chocolate thunder and her baby genius, but she didn’t know what. She had hoped that one of them would pay her a visit to either explain the problem or ask for advice (or both), but so far, neither had graced her doorstep. This left her with an uncomfortable predicament. She cared about both of her boys and wanted to help when something was wrong, but she didn’t know if they would welcome her just coming out and asking what the Hell was wrong with them. Definitely not the best approach, she told herself.

 

However, just as she was thinking about this and mulling over her other options, a knock came on her door. “Come in?” she said, swiveling her chair to face the door.

 

“Hey baby girl,” Derek said as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

 

“Well, speak of the Devil and he shall appear,” Garcia said fondly.

 

Derek smiled and asked, “You calling me the Devil?”

 

“Well you are very naughty and _smoking_ hot,” she answered in a seductively low voice. “I think it’s a fair comparison.”

 

Derek laughed out loud and shook his head at her antics. He sobered up quickly, however, and sighed. “Do you have time to talk, baby girl?”

 

“Of course, honey bee,” Garcia answered seriously, gesturing to an empty chair next to hers. “Sit down and tell Mama all about it.”

 

Derek graciously took her offer and sat down, spilling his worries and innermost thoughts to the most important woman in his life next to his mother and sisters. “There’s something wrong with Spencer and I can’t get him to go to the doctor. Actually, I really don’t think there is anything wrong but Spencer is just getting so worked up and stressed out that… if there isn’t something wrong now, there will be soon because he’s going to give himself an ulcer.”

 

Garcia nodded and said, “I did notice that he’d been more on edge lately. I also noticed that he _had_ gained some weight, but honestly, he needed to! That poor kid is nothing but skin and bones!”

 

“I know, sweetness! I know,” Derek agreed. “But he’s been stressed out _because_ of his weight gain, if you can believe it.”

 

Garcia sighed and shook her head in exasperation. “Yeah, that definitely sounds like him. He’s so self-conscious that doesn’t realize that a little bit of weight gain is healthy for him!”

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty boy through and through,” Derek said in a resigned voice. Even though he loved Spencer more than life itself, Derek still got frustrated when Spencer couldn’t seem to see past his insecurities.

 

“Well, what does 187 think is wrong?” Garcia asked, pulling Derek out of his musings. “I mean, he _has_ to have a theory.”

 

“Honestly, I think he’s too scared to think about what it could be,” Derek answered with a sigh as he rubbed his hand over the back of his shaved head. “He’s convinced that a doctor will either tell him that he’s stressing out over nothing, which I’m inclined to agree with, or that he’ll be told that he has some incurable disease. I mean, even though I really don’t think there is anything wrong with him, I would still feel better if I knew for sure.”

 

“Oh, my poor baby!” Garcia gasped, surprised at how much a little weight gain was bothering Spencer. “Well you need to get him to a doctor just in case, dark chocolate.”

 

“I know, baby girl,” Derek said, nodding his head as he clasped his hands in his lap. “I think I’ll give him another week or so to make sure nothing else changes before I insist.”

 

“That sounds like a good idea,” Garcia said softly but sincerely.

 

Derek smiled warmly at her concern. “Thanks for letting me vent, mama,” he said, reaching over and pulling her into a hug.

 

“Anytime!” she said enthusiastically. “Especially if you’re going to reward me like this!”

 

Derek laughed and kissed the top of Garcia’s head before he let her go and stood up, heading for the door.

 

“Let me know what happens, ok?” Garcia asked, her voice giving away her concern.

 

“Of course, baby girl,” Derek said sincerely. “Of course.” He then opened the door and walked out, closing the door behind him as he continued on his way back to the bullpen.


	3. What is Going On?!

Back to back cases occupied the BAU team for the next three weeks, so even though Spencer had promised JJ he would see a doctor (and Derek had promised Garcia he would make Spencer see a doctor), it just hadn’t happened yet. Though Spencer would never tell JJ, he was kind of glad that he had been too busy to see a doctor. The idea still terrified him even though he was becoming increasingly more worried as time went by. In the three weeks since Spencer had talked to JJ, he had gained another two pounds despite the fact that he was forcing himself to eat healthier than he ever had in his entire life.

 

After their last case had ended and Spencer was cuddling with Derek on the jet ride back to Quantico, Spencer finally realized that, even though he didn’t want to, and he was still scared as Hell, he really _needed_ to get checked out by a doctor. He heaved a great sigh at the thought, but told himself that it was all for the best.

 

“What’s wrong, baby boy?” Derek asked quietly, having heard and felt Spencer sigh.

 

“I just decided that I need to see a doctor even though I really don’t want to,” Spencer answered in a resigned voice. He really, _really_ didn’t want to see a doctor.

 

“I know you don’t want to, baby, but it probably is for the best,” Derek answered as he rubbed Spencer’s back soothingly. “I would hate for there to be something wrong with you, pretty boy.”

 

Spencer smiled and chuckled slightly. “Well, there are a lot of things wrong with me but none of those can be cured with modern medicine.”

 

Derek laughed out loud and kissed the top of Spencer’s head. “I love you so much, baby boy.”

 

Spencer cuddled in closer and mumbled, “I love you too, Derek,” before he dozed off in his boyfriend’s protective arms.

 

* * *

 

When Spencer called the doctor, the earliest appointment they had open was for two weeks away. Spencer was fine with this because he thought, ‘ _I’ve been gaining weight for almost eight months now, what’s two more weeks?_ ’

 

However, his body had different ideas. Only two days later, Spencer woke up with terrible cramps in his lower stomach. He curled up in the fetal position and rubbed and massaged at the painful area, trying to alleviate the discomfort. It only lasted for about thirty seconds before it went away, leaving Spencer confused and slightly concerned. When he looked at the clock, he saw it was only 2:36am, so he just shrugged, turned over, and cuddled back up to Derek to try to fall asleep again.

 

* * *

 

Another hard cramp woke Spencer a few minutes before the alarm went off at 7:00am. Again, he curled up and rubbed and massaged, hoping that it would soon be over. Spencer noted that this cramp, similar to the last one, only lasted for a little over thirty seconds.

 

Completely confused, Spencer sat up in bed and took a deep breath. ‘ _What the Hell is going on?_ ’ he asked himself as he absently rubbed a hand over his protruding stomach, trying to wipe away the residual pain of the last cramp.

 

Spencer looked at the clock and decided just to get up. He thought maybe a hot shower would soothe the cramps from his body and prevent more from happening. However, when Spencer’s feet hit the floor and he stood up, he immediately got dizzy and disoriented. The next thing he knew, he was laying on his side on the floor.

 

Derek, who had heard the ‘thump’ when Spencer hit the floor, shot up out of bed and ran over to him. “Spencer! Oh my god, are you ok?” He crouched down and grabbed Spencer’s shoulders, trying to help him sit up.

 

“Yeah, I think I’m ok,” Spencer answered in a soft, confused voice. His eyebrows were pulled together and his lips were pursed in a hard line as he tried to figure out what had happened.

 

“What happened?” Derek asked as if he couldn’t see the confusion on Spencer’s face.

 

“I’m not really sure,” Spencer honestly said, his voice still light and distant as he tried to think. “I got a cramp in my stomach that woke me up so I decided to just get up and maybe get a shower, but as soon as I stood up, I got dizzy and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I don’t even remember falling.”

 

Derek was majorly concerned after Spencer finished telling him why he was on the floor at 6:58 in the morning, but he knew that if he showed worry, Spencer would worry (and Derek definitely didn’t want to cause him more worry than he was probably already feeling). So, he took a deep breath, put a little smile on his face, and tried to joke. “Huh, baby boy, that’s an interesting story but are you sure that you weren’t drinking something that you didn’t want to share with me?”  


Spencer shot Derek a look of disbelief and dryly said, “Oh yes, because we all know that 7:00am is the best time to get drunk. Especially when we have to be at work at 9.”

 

Derek laughed out loud and shook his head. “Alright, kid, well do you think you can stand? Cause we really should get you off the floor.”

 

Spencer sighed and nodded his head, accepting Derek’s help when he slid his hands from Spencer’s shoulders down to his hands and gently pulled as he stood up. As soon as Spencer was upright, however, he started feeling dizzy again and ended up falling forward into Derek’s arms.

 

“Whoa, Spencer!” Derek said as he caught his obviously ailing boyfriend. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

 

Spencer closed his eyes and nodded his head, but immediately realized that that was a very bad idea when his stomach rolled. Spencer gagged and managed to mumble, “Derek, I’m gonna be sick,” before he started dry heaving, focusing all of his energy on _not_ throwing up all over his boyfriend.

 

Derek’s eyes grew wide as he realized what was happening. He immediately scooped Spencer up bridal style and rushed him into the ensuite bathroom. Derek then plopped Spencer down on his knees in front of the toilet just in time because as soon as Spencer was in position, he vomited hard, bringing up everything still in his stomach.

 

Derek knelt down beside Spencer, grabbed his hair, and rubbed soothing circles on Spencer’s back as he continued to heave and spit. A full ten minutes later, Spencer finally collapsed into Derek’s arms, his back to Derek’s chest. He laid his head back on Derek’s shoulder and panted as he felt the nausea return.

 

Derek rubbed Spencer’s chest and swollen stomach, trying to comfort him as best as he could. “You ok now, baby?” he asked softly.

 

Spencer started to shake his head but decided against it, remembering what had happened the last time he’d moved his head in response. “No,” he said quietly. “I really don’t feel good.”

 

“Do you think you can make it back to bed?” Derek really wanted Spencer to rest after seeing him throw up like that.

 

“I don’t know,” Spencer answered miserably. His eyes were closed and he was trying to control his breathing so hopefully the nauseous feeling would go away.

 

“Alright, hunny, well just hold on and I’ll help you lay back down,” Derek said as he slowly repositioned himself without moving Spencer too much. Derek then grabbed him bridal style again and stood up, making his way back to the bed as easily as he could.

 

Spencer just whimpered uncomfortably as he felt Derek pick him up off the bathroom floor and then lay him back in bed a moment later. He curled up in the fetal position once more and almost immediately fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

 

Derek sighed as he watched his boyfriend fall asleep. He then reached down and covered Spencer up with the blankets, brushed Spencer’s hair out of his eyes, and gave him a small kiss on his forehead before he backed up, grabbed his cellphone off the bedside table, and left the room. He closed the door most of the way to keep noise out but so that Derek would still be able to hear if Spencer woke up and needed him.

 

Derek walked into the living room and sat down on the couch before he dialed Hotch’s office number. It was almost 8:00 am by this time and Derek was sure that Hotch would already be at the FBI building. Derek sometimes wondered if Hotch ever _left_ the FBI building. It just seemed like he was always there.

 

“Hotchner,” Derek heard as Hotch answered his phone.

 

“Hey, Hotch, this is Morgan,” Derek answered and, not waiting for a response, continued with, “Spencer is really sick so he won’t be in today. Would it be ok if I took the day off as well to look after him?”

 

“I’m going to need you to come in at least half of the day,” Hotch answered hesitantly. He wanted to make sure that everyone was taken care of, but he also knew that the BAU really couldn’t spare two team members at once. “I was actually hoping that you would do a quick consult with me in La Plata. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. How about you stay home and take care of Reid this morning but then meet me here at 1:00 pm for the consult?”

 

Derek sighed. He knew that he wouldn’t get a better deal, but he still didn’t have to like it. “Alright, Hotch, that works. Thanks.”

 

“Tell Reid that I hope he feels better soon and I’ll see you at 1:00 pm sharp,” Hotch said, his voice softening slightly as he said Spencer’s name.

 

“I will, Hotch. Thanks again.” Derek hung up the phone and wiped his hands over his face. He then got up and walked back into the bedroom. He carefully crawled into bed and pulled Spencer to him so that his back was resting against Derek’s chest.

 

Spencer sighed happily in his sleep and unconsciously snuggled as far back into Derek as he could.

 

Derek kissed the back of Spencer’s head and gently rubbed his hand over Spencer’s protruding belly, hoping that whatever was ailing him would soon pass. Suddenly, Derek felt something under his hand. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and he stilled his motions. He pushed in slightly on Spencer’s abdomen, but it was completely solid with absolutely no give. Derek was thinking again how strange that was when he felt it again. It felt like bubbles and vibrations. Was Spencer’s stomach just rolling around? What the Hell was that?

 

Before he could think about it any further, however, the strange sensation stopped completely. Derek gave a little half shrug and settled back into bed, hoping to catch a little more sleep before he had to be at work.

 

* * *

  

Spencer woke up to another horrible cramp in his stomach. He whimpered slightly and curled up around himself until it passed. ‘ _That was almost 40 seconds,’_ he thought to himself as he rolled over onto his back.

 

Derek, who had felt Spencer move and had heard him whimper, moved a hand to gently rub over Spencer’s belly. “You ok? Are you feeling sick again?”

 

Spencer looked over at Derek and saw the worry in his eyes. Not wanting to worry him any further by telling him about the cramps, Spencer just nodded and said, “Yeah, my stomach just hurts.”

 

“Do you want me to help you to the bathroom?” Derek asked softly, not wanting to imply that Spencer couldn’t manage on his own but remembering how weak he was earlier that morning.

 

“No I’m ok,” he answered as he wiped his hair out of his face. “What time is it?”

 

Derek looked over at the clock on the bedside table and said, “It’s a little after 10:00.”

 

Spencer’s eyes got wide as he looked back over to Derek. “Oh my God, Derek, we’re late for work!” he exclaimed and then tried to sit up so he could get off the bed.

 

Derek, however, pulled him back down and held him there. He rubbed over Spencer’s hair and down his torso, paying special attention to the swell of his middle. “It’s ok Spencer. I already called Hotch and told him you were sick.”

 

“I’m not sick!” Spencer answered immediately but then amended himself as he felt a twinge in his stomach. “Ok, I don’t feel good, but I still could have made it to work.”

 

“Baby, you need to rest,” Derek said firmly, still rubbing his hands over Spencer’s body in a soothing fashion. “You don’t need to be going into work when you’re throwing up and practically passing out on me.”

 

Spencer sighed as he conceded to Derek’s logic. He really _didn’t_ feel good. Then he realized that just because he was sick didn’t mean that Derek would automatically be able to get time off as well. “Wait, so Hotch gave you the day off too?”

 

It was Derek’s turn to sigh as he said, “Well I wanted to stay home to take care of you but Hotch could only give me half a day. I have to meet him at the BAU at 1:00 to go to a consult with him in La Plata. He said it shouldn’t take too long though and we should be back by this evening.”

 

Spencer nodded. Even though he always acted like he didn’t want to be taken care of, he still secretly enjoyed the fact that Derek always seemed to _want_ to take care of him. It just showed him how much the older man really loved him. “Ok. That means that you have a little time before you have to get ready to go. Do you want me to make you a late breakfast?”

 

“Baby, no!” Derek laughed. It was just like Spencer to still try to do things for him even though he was sick. “You need to rest! Are _you_ hungry? Would _you_ like some breakfast?”

 

Spencer bit his lip. He hated to ask for anything. He also felt that if he ate, he would be telling Derek that he felt ok and had been lying about being sick. It was ridiculous, he knew, but he couldn’t help what he felt.

 

Derek could see the internal debate going on within Spencer and gave a small smile. “How about I make something and if you feel like eating, then eat. Just because you feel hungry doesn’t mean that you’re not sick. It’s just your body trying to heal itself. Even a sick body needs energy.”

 

Spencer looked at Derek gratefully. He always seemed to know what to say. “Ok. Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome, baby boy,” Derek said. He then kissed Spencer’s forehead and got out of bed before heading out the door toward the kitchen.

 

Spencer shifted around on the bed to try to find a more comfortable position, but he couldn’t. He finally decided to try to get up and go relax in the living room. Remembering what happened the _last_ time he’d tried to get out of bed, Spencer took his time sitting up and swinging his legs out over the edge of the bed. He then took a deep breath and slid down to his feet, holding onto the side of the bed just in case.

 

Spencer found that he was pretty steady, however, and let go to stand straight. He took another deep breath and started to slowly walk out to the living room. He was still wearing his sleep pants and one of Derek’s baggy T-shirts, but he didn’t care. ‘ _It’s not like Derek is going to let me go anywhere today anyway,’_ he thought to himself fondly. If Derek wanted him to rest, then he would. He would do just about anything for the man he loved.

 

Spencer made it to the couch and gingerly sat down, trying not to aggravate his stomach now that it seemed to be somewhat settled. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, changing the channel to National Geographic, knowing that it would make good background noise (and because some pretty good shows usually played on the channel as well).

 

Derek, having heard the TV turn on, popped his head out of the kitchen to look at Spencer on the couch. “Hey! I thought I told you to relax,” he admonished without any heat to his words.

 

“I _am_ relaxing!” Spencer countered as he propped his feet up on the coffee table. “See? Totally relaxed.”

 

Derek chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, smartass. Breakfast is almost ready so don’t move.”

 

Derek then walked back into the kitchen and left Spencer to his thoughts. ‘ _What the Hell is going on with me?’_ he asked himself. He really didn’t want to worry Derek but he was afraid that if his symptoms got any worse, he wouldn’t be able to wait for his doctor’s appointment. Before he had a chance to contemplate further, however, Spencer suddenly found himself lightheaded and nauseous once again. “Oh no,” he mumbled as he attempted to stand up.

 

Spencer made it to his feet and started to stagger toward the bathroom when his knees gave out and he ended up on the floor. He groaned loudly but then decided to crawl the rest of the way there.

 

Derek heard a thump from the living room and rushed out of the kitchen to check on Spencer. He found him on the floor attempting to crawl to the bathroom. “Oh, baby, let me help you,” he said gently as he grabbed Spencer under the arms and practically dragged him the rest of the way.

 

When they got to the bathroom, Derek repeated his actions from the last time by helping Spencer kneel in front of the toilet, rubbing his back and holding his hair as Spencer vomited his stomach contents (which consisted of virtually nothing since he hadn’t eaten anything yet). When Spencer was finished, he again collapsed against Derek and tried to calm his breathing. “I’m going to call Hotch and tell him I can’t come in today,” Derek said gently as he stroked his fingers through Spencer’s sweaty hair.

 

Spencer shook his head weakly. “No, you need to go,” he mumbled quietly. “I’ll be fine.”

 

“Spencer, you can’t even make it to the bathroom by yourself!” Derek exclaimed. If he wasn’t worried for his mate before, he definitely was now.

 

Spencer took a deep breath and turned his head to face Derek. “I will be fine, Derek,” he said firmly. “I’m just sick. You’ll only be gone for a few hours and I promise, if something happens, I will call someone to come help me. You need to go with Hotch.”

 

Derek sighed but he knew that Spencer was right. “I still don’t like leaving you here like this,” he mumbled.

 

“Well, at least help me back to the couch,” Spencer teased with a small smile on his face.

 

Derek chuckled and helped Spencer to his feet. “Well you must be feeling a little better if you can tease me.”

 

“I can always tease you, Derek, no matter _how_ I feel!” Spencer joked in a slightly hoarse voice. “Would you mind getting me a drink of water?”

 

“Of course, baby,” Derek said as he helped Spencer sit on the couch. He then rushed to the kitchen and returned a minute later with a large glass of ice water.

 

“Thank you,” Spencer said as he slowly sipped his drink. He wanted to gulp it but he knew he’d probably end up sick again if he did that.

 

“Are you still hungry?” Derek asked as he watched Spencer drink.

 

“Well I should probably try to eat something,” Spencer responded after sitting his glass down on the coffee table. “Besides, you went to all the trouble to cook, so I’d feel bad if I didn’t eat _any_ of it.”

 

“Spencer, don’t eat just because you don’t want to hurt my feelings!” Derek said patiently. He knew his boyfriend was still always afraid of making people angry at him, but Derek had hoped he’d be past that with him.

 

Spencer ducked his head but didn’t answer.

 

Derek sighed and walked back into the kitchen. He came back in the living room a few minutes later, somehow juggling two plates full of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon, silverware, and two individual bottles of orange juice. “Alright, don’t make yourself sick, ok?” he said as he put the plates, forks, and juice on the coffee table.

 

“Thank you, Derek,” Spencer softly said, reaching first for his juice. Even though he wasn’t a big fan of orange juice, he thought the vitamin C in it might help him feel better.

 

“You know I’d do anything for you, Spencer,” Derek said seriously as he sat down on the other end of the couch and reached for his own food and drink.

 

Spencer looked over at Derek with such love that he thought he would start crying. How did he end up with someone so wonderful? “I know you would, sweetheart. I love you so much and I’d do anything for you as well,” he said softly, trying not to sob. ‘ _When did I become so emotional?!’_

 

Derek reached over and put his arm around Spencer’s shoulders to give him a brief hug before going back to his food. He knew Spencer was close to tears (although he wasn’t sure why because Spencer hardly ever cried) so he didn’t want to escalate the situation.

 

Spencer was grateful for the emotional reprieve and that Derek had given him time to compose himself. He decided to try to eat something to distract himself.

 

Derek finished his plate of food and juice and then waited for Spencer to finish what he wanted of his.

 

Spencer ended up eating about half the food on his plate, but he made an effort to finish his juice. He then smiled over at Derek and said, “Thank you. It was delicious.”

 

“You’re very welcome, sweetheart. I just hope it doesn’t make you sick,” Derek said kindly as he stood up and took the dirty dishes and trash back to the kitchen. He tossed the empty juice bottles and, normally, he would wash the plates, but today, he wanted to spend as much time with Spencer before he had to head off to work.

 

Derek returned to the living room and sat sideways on the couch. He then pulled Spencer up to sit between his legs so he could lounge against Derek’s chest. Derek gave him a little squeeze from behind and then relaxed. Within minutes, he heard Spencer’s breath even out as he fell asleep in Derek’s arms.


	4. Oh my God! I really am...

At 11:45, Derek reluctantly shifted Spencer off of his chest so that he could get up and get ready to go.

 

Spencer made a little whiny sound but otherwise remained quiet as he moved around to get comfortable without Derek’s warmth behind him.

 

Derek proceeded to take a quick shower, get dressed, and gather what he needed to take with him when he left. He walked back out into the living room, where Spencer was still asleep, and quietly grabbed his keys and credentials. He then clipped his handcuffs to the back of his jeans and fastened his gun and holster onto his belt. Then he walked over the couch and stared down at Spencer for a few moments, hating to wake him up but knowing he would be hurt if Derek left without saying goodbye.

 

Derek sighed and knelt down in front of the couch. He reached his hand out and brushed Spencer’s hair out of his face and then leaned in and kissed his forehead.

 

Spencer shifted and moaned happily at the touch. He opened his eyes and smiled at Derek. “Hi,” he softly said.

 

“Hi,” Derek responded with a smile. “I have to leave soon if I want to get there on time.”

 

“Oh, ok,” Spencer said a little distantly, as if his attention wasn’t primarily focused on the present.

 

Derek was slightly concerned at Spencer’s tone of voice, but maybe he was still mostly asleep. “Are you feeling any better?”

 

Spencer seemed to think about the question for a moment before responding in a dreamy voice, “Yeah, I’m ok. I’m a little floaty but it’s probably just because I’m tired.”

 

Derek smiled at Spencer. It was unusual for him to use words like ‘floaty’ but Derek found it adorable when he did. “Alright, well rest as much as you can and be careful. You’ll end up with bruises or worse if you keep falling on the floor! And call me if something happens, ok?”

 

“Ok, I’ll try to be careful,” Spencer said with a smile. He knew Derek worried even though Spencer didn’t want him to. “You be careful too. Make sure to let me know if something happens and you won’t be home tonight.”

 

“You know I will, baby.” Derek pulled Spencer into a gentle hug and gave him a brief peck on the lips. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” Spencer answered and then slowly closed his eyes as he fell back into a light doze.

 

* * *

 

 

When Derek arrived at the BAU, Hotch was already ready and waiting for him in the parking garage even though Derek was a good fifteen minutes early. Derek shook his head in amusement and walked over to the running SUV and opened the passenger door. “Hey, Hotch,” Derek greeted as he got in.

 

Hotch looked over as Derek shut his door and buckled his seat belt. “Good afternoon, Morgan,” he said in his usual stiff and formal voice as he pulled out of the garage. “I’m glad you could make it. This should be just a normal consult, but I wanted another set of eyes and your insights are always invaluable.”

 

“It’s not a problem, Hotch,” Derek answered earnestly. “I appreciate your confidence in me.”

 

Hotch’s mouth twitched up in a small smile that was gone almost immediately. A few minutes later, however, his features softened as he asked, “How is Reid?”

 

Derek smiled at Hotch’s slight transformation. The whole team loved the young genius and they had all been concerned about his health the past few months. “Well, he’s sick to his stomach and threw up twice before I left. The thing that worries me most is he keeps getting dizzy and falling on the floor. I firmly told him to stay either in bed or on the couch unless he absolutely _needs_ to get up. I mean, he doesn’t need to break his arm or something on top of being sick, you know? But, I got him to eat a little and drink some orange juice before I left and I told him to call me or someone else closer if anything happens.”

 

Hotch’s face was scrunched up in concern by the time Derek finished telling him about Spencer. “Has he seen a doctor yet? I know he was supposed to, but I never found out if he got a chance.”

 

“No, not yet,” Derek said wearily. “He finally gave in and made an appointment but the soonest he could get in was sometime next week I think.”

 

“Reid’s never been fond of doctors, that’s for sure,” Hotch said in understanding.

 

Derek laughed out loud and said, “Yeah it took me this long just to convince him he _needed_ to see a doctor. I think JJ’s been trying to convince him as well.”

 

“Probably,” Hotch answered with a nod of his head. “Reid and JJ have always been attached at the hip. But that’s a good thing. I get the feeling that Reid never really had any close attachments outside of his mother before he joined the team.”

 

“Oh you have no idea, Hotch,” Derek said sadly. “He’s been hurt by so many people, it’s a wonder he trusts _anyone_ anymore. A part of him still expects us all to one day realize he’s not worth our time and just send him away.”

 

If Hotch hadn’t been driving, he would have closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose at that comment. As he was, he just shook his head sadly. “I wish he could see what an amazing person he is,” Hotch said softly. “It’s not only his mind that makes him unique, but it’s the innocence with which he views life. I’m honored to know him and call him my friend, but I wish he had more confidence and a better view of himself.”

 

“You and me both, Hotch,” Derek responded just as softly. “You and me both.”

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as Derek left the house, Spencer’s eyes shot open and he was wide awake. He hated being home alone. Even before he had started dating Derek, he never spent a lot of time at home. He would go to the library or a coffee shop and idle away the hours by reading books or working on his chess strategies. Houses made noises that Spencer logically knew were normal but still illogically freaked him out.

 

Spencer sighed and sat up. Derek had left the TV on for noise because he also knew of Spencer’s illogical fear of house noises, so Spencer stared at the screen absently as he thought. ‘ _Strong stomach cramps, nausea, and dizziness. Those have to be symptoms of_ something _! Come on, you’re supposed to be a genius and you can’t even catalog symptoms into a likely diagnosis?’_ Spencer shook his head in annoyance. Sometimes he really hated that snide little voice in his head.

 

He finally decided that he didn’t want to think about himself and the best way to get his mind off of anything was to read a book. Slowly, Spencer shifted so he could push himself off the couch. He really didn’t want to end up on the floor again, so he braced himself on the coffee table and stood up. When he was sure that he wasn’t going to be dizzy, he let go of the table and straightened. Spencer let out a soft breath and started to walk toward the bookcases in the corner of the living room when suddenly, another breath-taking, heart-stopping cramp seized his lower stomach.

 

Spencer let out a pained whimper as he clutched at his belly and sank to his knees. “Oh God!” he let out in a strained voice laced with pain. He laid over on his side and brought his knees up, trying to relieve the pressure, but nothing worked. When the cramp finally let up around 45 seconds later, Spencer was panting and sweating from the strain on his body. He tried to relax and get his breathing back to normal but the muscles in his legs were jumping from the isometric workout.

 

Finally, Spencer felt calmed enough to push himself up into a seated position, but as soon as he did, he felt pressure from his lower back down to his pelvis that made him immediately lounge back and prop himself up on his hands to try relieve that pressure. ‘ _Well, so much for staying off the floor,’_ he thought to himself wryly.

 

He took a deep breath and turned himself over on his hands and knees so that he could regain his feet. After which, he continued on his way to the book cases, grabbed a couple of his favorites, and, as quick as he dared, made his way back over to the couch. He carefully sat down and lounged back against the arm of the chair, bringing his feet up to stretch out over the length. He let out a sigh and absently snaked his hand up under his shirt to rub soothing circles on his swollen belly. ‘ _I don’t know what the Hell is going on, but I wish it would stop.’_

 

Spencer’s wish did not come to pass, however, as the crippling cramps continued to plague him the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Over the hours, they increased in frequency, each one lasting longer than the one previous. By 5:00 pm, the cramps were coming at around 30 minutes apart, with each one coming between 2 minutes and 10 minutes faster than the last.

 

Spencer was laying almost flat on the couch with just the couch pillows propping his head and back up, riding out the last cramp. His legs were bent at the knee and he was kneading his knuckles into his belly, trying to massage the pain away. He felt a ripple pass through his abdomen and vaguely wondered what the Hell _that_ was about before he was back to panting and whimpering through the almost unbearable pain.

 

When the pain let up a minute and a half later, Spencer felt like crying. He was sweaty, his muscles ached, and his stomach and lower back felt like they were on fire. He really wanted to call Derek but he also knew that he didn’t want to worry him while he was working. He almost called JJ to tell her about his discomfort, but stopped himself at the last minute, not wanting to interrupt whatever she was doing either.

 

Deep in his heart and mind, Spencer _knew_ that he was in serious trouble. He’d gone over his symptoms numerous times and had come to only one conclusion. ‘ _But that just isn’t possible. I can’t let myself think like that because even through the pain, my hopes will lift. I just couldn’t bear to be let down like that again.’_ And so he stopped thinking along those lines. He told himself that he just had a stomach bug that was causing cramps and he’d feel better at least by tomorrow.

 

Spencer groaned and turned onto his side trying to get comfortable and relax, but he found he was just too jittery and worried. Instead, he decided to try to walk around a little and see if that would help him feel any better. He once again slowly made his way to his feet, waiting to see if dizziness would strike, and then straightened up. He started to walk cautiously around the living room, grounding himself with his hands on nearly everything he passed by.

 

Spencer found himself slowly relaxing as he walked and 15 minutes later, he was more relaxed than he had been for hours. A small smile started forming on his face as he thought, ‘ _See? I’m fine! Nothing to worry about.’_ However, those thoughts were instantly cut off when Spencer felt liquid gush out from between his legs, soaking his sleep pants and slowly making a puddle at his feet.

 

“Oh my God,” he whispered as he looked down at the floor. He touched his pants and then looked at his hand. ‘ _That’s not blood,’_ he thought. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, including his brain, as he tried to figure out what had happened.

 

Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Oh no,” he said in barely more than a whisper. He felt hot and cold at the same time and his head felt like it was suddenly filled with cotton. He stumbled toward the bathroom and splashed cold water from the sink on his face. ‘ _Don’t panic. Don’t pass out,’_ the rational part of his mind said while the irrational part was in hysterics and saying, ‘ _Oh God, you really_ are _pregnant! You’ve been in labor all day and your water just broke! You’re going to have a baby and Derek isn’t home and oh my God, what am I going to do?’_

 

As he thought about that though, the rational part countered with, ‘ _No, that’s impossible! You can’t be pregnant! You were told by professionals that you were practically infertile and you’d probably never get pregnant. Besides, there’s no way you could have gone an entire pregnancy and been entirely oblivious of it!’_ The snide voice in his mind pitched in with, ‘ _It’s completely possible that you’ve ignored a pregnancy,_ genius _! You already had set in your mind that it was impossible so you didn’t allow yourself to explore the possibility!’_

 

Spencer whimpered and put his hands on his head, trying to get his mind to just shut the Hell up and give him a minute to process everything. Before he could even take a breath, though, another cramp hit him and he found himself screaming out in pain. ‘ _It’s a contraction, not a cramp,’_ his mind still managed to yell at him even though it seemed like nothing else in his body was working. Suddenly, he felt the cold tile floor on his side as he collapsed over. He had just enough presence of mind to lift his head up at the last moment to keep from knocking himself out, but after that, the world was nothing but pain.

 

Three agonizing minutes later, the contraction subsided, leaving Spencer once more sweaty and panting on the floor. He took a moment to catch his breath, but knew he didn’t have long. That last contraction had come only 10 minutes after the previous one! Spencer turned himself on his back, spread his legs and bent his knees. He reached his hand down into his wet pants and felt down past his perineum to his opening. He gasped as all four of his fingers slid easily in his opening. He was almost fully dilated! ‘ _I need to get to a hospital,’_ he thought to himself as he quickly pulled his hand back and rolled himself over onto his hands and knees.

 

Spencer got to his feet and walked as fast as he could back out into the living room where his cell phone was laying on the coffee table. A few minutes later and he had called 911 and explained that he was pretty sure he was in labor and needed immediate assistance. Then he headed into the bedroom to change his clothes. No matter how much pain or panic he was in, Spencer Reid would absolutely _not_ leave the house in soaked and sweaty pajamas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was asked about Hotch's word usage at the end of one of his sentences ("...and your insights are always invaluable"), so I decided to define the word "invaluable" in case anyone else has any confusion :)
> 
> The word "invaluable" does not mean without value. In fact, it is an adjective that means "extremely useful; indispensable." So yes, I did mean to use "invaluable" and not just "valuable" :D Hope that clears up any confusion!


	5. Kindness and Inexperience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait for this chapter. I only had chapters 1-5 pre-written so it took me a little bit to figure out exactly where I wanted to go. However, this chapter is longer than the others, so hopefully that's enough consolation for your wait! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> *As a side note, I got a comment asking why none of the doctors were freaked out about seeing a man in labor. I honestly thought that readers would assume, given the categories of hermaphrodites that I provide in each of my mpreg stories, that a man in labor was not a once in a lifetime thing. I wrote this as a response to the comment and will continue posting something like it in every story I have where Spencer goes into labor (because that happens a lot lol) just to clear up any confusion. Sorry if anyone didn't understand and hopefully this will shed light in any dark places:
> 
> Well, as I've specifically stated in all of my mpreg stories, I write from a set list of categories of hermaphrodites which I created and explained myself (always a note at the end of the first chapter of each of my mpreg stories). Being that hermaphrodites are common enough to get classifications in my world, I would assume that they are common enough that seeing a man in labor would be no surprise. Maybe not an everyday thing, but definitely not something completely out of the ordinary. I hope this clears that up.

Spencer unlocked the front door just in case he wouldn’t be able to get to it when the ambulance arrived, which was a good thing because the paramedics came right in the middle of one of Spencer’s contractions.

 

He was laying on the couch, loudly moaning and panting his way through the pain when he heard the door open and people rush in. “I’m in here,” he whimpered needlessly; they seemed to be already making their way back to him, following his pain-filled cries.

 

One of the paramedics, a young man, rushed toward him while the other, a middle-aged woman, lingered by entrance to the living room. The young man knelt down by the couch and quickly took Spencer’s pulse. As the contraction ended, he gave Spencer enough time to catch his breath and look at him. “Hi, my name is Dan. Can you tell me your name?” he said kindly.

 

“D-Dr. Spencer R-Reid,” Spencer stuttered out in a hoarse voice. He was sweaty and exhausted and really wanted this whole ordeal to be over and done with.

 

Dan smiled, nodded his head, and proceeded to pull on a pair of latex examination gloves. “Alright, Dr. Reid, I’m going to give you a very brief physical examination of your lower half here to see what we’re dealing with.” Dan then proceeded to pull up Spencer’s T-shirt so he could poke, press, and rub over his swollen stomach. Before he moved lower, however, he looked back up at Spencer and said, “I’m going to need to pull your pants down for a moment, ok?”

 

Spencer nodded and closed his eyes. He understood what Dan had to do, but that didn’t mean that Spencer had to be comfortable or not embarrassed about it.

 

Dan slowly and carefully pulled Spencer’s sweat pants down to his knees and then gently maneuvered Spencer’s legs open slightly so he could reach a hand down to feel Spencer’s opening. “Ok, Dr. Reid, you’re almost fully dilated but the baby isn’t crowning yet, so we have some options for reducing your pain.”

 

“No narcotics, please,” Spencer mumbled and hoped that Dan could hear him. He barely registered Dan pulling his pants back up, he was so tired.

 

“That’s no problem. I can recommend a spinal block with an anesthetic to the ER doctors when we arrive if you’d like,” Dan suggested, looking at Spencer even though Spencer’s eyes were still closed. “It’ll numb you from the waist down for a few hours and you might need a catheter if it affects you stronger than normal. Each medication, as I’m sure you’re aware being a doctor and all, affects each individual person differently.”

 

Spencer nodded his head, too overcome with exhaustion to even bother to tell the EMT that he wasn’t _that_ type of doctor. However, it seemed that a second later he was filled with adrenaline as what Dan had said fully hit his brain. His eyes shot open and, in a hoarse, slightly hesitant voice, he asked, “Am I really pregnant?”

 

Dan, who had been peeling his dirty gloves off to stretch a clean pair on, looked up at Spencer with surprise on his face. “Yes, you are,” he answered slowly, keeping eye contact with Spencer as he nodded his head.

 

“I’m gonna have a baby?” Spencer sobbed out as tears sprang to his eyes and ran down his face. “I’m really gonna have a baby?!”

 

Dan smiled gently and laid a kind hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “Yes, Dr. Reid, you are going to have a baby. But don’t worry. We’re going to take good care of you.”

 

Spencer closed his eyes and started to laugh and sob at the same time as tears continued to stream down his face. He already knew from the signs and symptoms of the last few hours that he was pregnant and going into labor, but having the EMT confirm the fact just made his heart soar. ‘ _I’m having a baby! I’m really having a baby!’_ he thought to himself as a wide smile graced his face.

 

That smile was wiped away a minute later as another contraction hit him. He wailed loudly and clutched his belly as pain rippled through him. He vaguely registered Dan try to coach him through breathing correctly, but the pain prevented him from understanding anything but his own thoughts, which consisted solely of, ‘ _Oh God, I’m having a baby! Why did I want to have a baby?!’_

 

As soon as the contraction ended and Spencer was just left panting and sweating, enjoying the brief moment of relief by trying to catch his breath, the EMTs helped him up onto a gurney that Spencer hadn’t even realized they’d brought in. “Ok, as soon as we get you in the back of the ambulance, I’m going to insert an IV catheter into your arm and check all of your vitals,” Dan said as he and the female EMT, who had yet to speak or even really _look_ at Spencer, wheeled him out the front door and then closed it behind them.

 

Spencer just closed his eyes and nodded tiredly as he felt himself being lifted into the ambulance. God this whole situation was just so damn exhausting! He didn’t expect labor to be a pile of giggles or anything, but he also wasn’t prepared for it to be so intense! He wanted a baby, yes, but at the moment, he was sure that adoption was definitely the better option… He sighed and silently swore to never have sex ever again.

 

However, as soon as he thought about sex, his mind immediately jumped to thoughts of Derek. Spencer’s eyes shot wide in alarm when he realized that Derek didn’t know about any of this! He didn’t know that Spencer was in so much pain, he didn’t know that Spencer was currently on his way to the hospital, and he definitely didn’t know that Spencer was going to have his baby in a matter of hours, possibly sooner.

 

“Oh God!” he exclaimed and tried to sit up. The straps on the gurney held him firmly in place, however, so he started thrashing as much as he could in the confined space.

 

“Hey, calm down,” Dan said soothingly as he grabbed Spencer’s hand firmly. “Everything’s going to be ok. All your vitals look good and the labor seems to be progressing normally.”

 

“It’s not that,” Spencer gasped as he looked at Dan with wide, frightened eyes. “I need to call my boyfriend! He doesn’t know!”

 

“Ok, just calm yourself, Dr. Reid,” Dan said with a smile, very obviously skilled at keeping his ailing charges from panicking. “When we arrive at the ER, you can tell someone there to give your boyfriend a call and inform him of the situation, alright?”

 

Spencer smiled gratefully at the care and kindness he was being shown in this very stressful time. “Alright,” he answered quietly and just relaxed back against the gurney, closing his eyes and waiting for the next painful contraction to hit.

 

* * *

 

 

Spencer was wheeled into an ER room right at the end of yet another contraction. By this point, Spencer found himself less worried about what was going on and more just annoyed that it wasn’t over yet.

 

A young woman in a white lab coat walked into the room carrying a tablet while two nurses transferred Spencer from the ambulance gurney to a hospital bed. “Ok Dr. Reid, my name is Dr. Amelia Brown” she said in a happy voice and with a bright smile on her face. “The EMTs called ahead and said you were in labor. Can you tell me how far apart your contractions seem to be?”

 

‘ _She must be an intern to be in such a good mood,’_ Spencer thought to himself as he struggled not to snap at the perky doctor. He took a deep breath and, through gritted teeth, he answered, “My last contraction ended one minute, thirty-seven seconds ago, but between that one and the one before, there were three minutes and forty-eight seconds of elapsed time. And, considering that each contraction has come at a shorter interval of time than the last, I estimate that my next contraction will come anywhere between one minute, thirty-five seconds to two minutes from now.”

 

Dr. Brown’s eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open into a silent O of shock. Whatever she had been expecting as a response, it certainly wasn’t what Spencer had offered. “Are you being serious?” she asked in an awestruck voice as if she had never heard a patient be so detailed before.

 

Upon further thought, however, Spencer decided that she probably _hadn’t_ so he would have to humor her if he wanted to get anything done. “Yes, I am being serious. I have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and 3 PhDs, so if you would just believe what I’m saying and start your examination before my next world of _Hell_ begins, I would be _eternally_ grateful.”

 

Dr. Brown again looked shocked and startled at Spencer’s bluntness, but almost immediately shook herself out of it, smiled, and said, “Of course, of course. I’m sorry.” She then hurried over to the bed, tucking the tablet into a pocket in her lab coat on the way, and began the external exam of Spencer’s swollen belly.

 

Before anything else could happen, however, another contraction hit and Spencer found himself instinctively spreading and bending his legs while he leaned forward slightly. He groaned loudly and, for the first time, he actually _felt_ something large slowly and painfully move within him. He cried out in alarm and discomfort as the pressure in his pelvis seemed to increase exponentially. “Oh God,” he moaned when the contraction finally let up and he could lean back once more, trying to catch his breath.

 

“Dr. Reid?” a hesitant voice called from off to Spencer’s right. “I’m going to admit you immediately to the maternity ward. They’ll get you into a gown and make sure everything goes smoothly, ok?”

 

Spencer glanced over at Dr. Brown who was standing almost right next to the door like she was ready to bolt at any second. She again had the tablet in her hands and was clutching it as if it was the only thing keeping her from just floating away into insanity.

 

Spencer sighed and felt extremely guilty for being rude to her before. No matter how much pain and panic he was in, Spencer could still sympathize and feel bad for his actions. He knew how hard it was to just be thrown into a situation and be expected to deal with it like a seasoned veteran. He himself had had no real field experience before visiting his first crime scene on his first ever BAU case, so he could imagine how stressful it might be for a young intern to just be thrown into the ER setting.

 

Spencer tiredly rubbed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before he looked back over at Dr. Brown. “Don’t worry, things will get easier,” he said in a quiet voice, to which Dr. Brown’s eyes widened once more. “When I first started my job, I felt completely out of my element and no amount of training beforehand could have prepared me for the shock of seeing things first hand. Just keep with it and you’ll do great.”

 

Dr. Brown blinked a few times as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Finally, she cleared her throat and put a hesitant smile on her face. “Th-Thank you,” she stuttered out, looking infinitely more relaxed than she had just a few moments prior.

 

Spencer smiled back at her, glad that he could think clear enough through the pain and exhaustion to provide a little bit of comfort to someone obviously struggling. However, odd as it was, the thought of being able to think clearly reminded him that he had yet to ask anyone to call Derek! “Could you do me a favor?” he blurted out suddenly, afraid that the thought would be pushed to the back of his mind once more if he didn’t ask right away.

 

Spencer was sure that Dr. Brown’s natural state just had to be set on “shock and awe” when a look of surprise again graced her features at his question. “Y-Yes, I’ll try,” she answered in a small voice as if she was afraid of what he might request.

 

“Could you have someone call my boyfriend, Derek Morgan, and tell him I’m in the hospital?” Spencer asked quickly when he noticed that two nurses were heading into the room to unhook him from the machines they’d hooked him up to not too long ago. “But don’t tell him any details!” he added suddenly as his face took on a slightly frightened look. “Just tell him I’m ok and to come when he can? Please?”

 

Dr. Brown blinked a few times and looked somewhat confused at his appeal of nondisclosure, but she didn’t question it. She nodded and, in a firm voice, said, “Of course. I’ll do it. Do you know his number?”

 

Spencer smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said earnestly and then told her Derek’s number. As the nurses wheeled him out of the ER room and down the hall, Spencer wondered if he had done the right thing. If Derek knew _why_ Spencer was in the hospital, he might completely panic and lost focus, which was something that Spencer definitely didn’t want especially if he was still working. In the end, he could only hope that Derek wouldn’t freak out too badly and get hurt trying to rush to see him.

 

* * *

 

 

Hotch and Derek were in the SUV, heading back to Quantico from the consult, when Derek’s phone rang. He pulled it out, but froze when he didn’t recognize the number. He was already in somewhat of a bad mood from the LEOs refusing to cooperate even though _they_ were the ones who had called in for the consult in the first place, so he was just really hoping that whoever was calling wasn’t going to give him even more of a reason to be pissed off.

 

However, he also knew that he couldn’t just ignore his phone, so Derek took a deep breath and answered with, “SSA Morgan.”

 

 _“Uh,_ Derek _Morgan?”_ a high, timid voice said through the speaker.

 

“Yes, this is me,” Derek answered, slightly confused as to the caller’s tone of voice. “Who is this?”

 

 _“Sorry!”_ the woman exclaimed before clearing her throat and taking a breath. _“My name is Dr. Amelia Brown. I’m an ER intern at St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital and I just examined your boyfriend, Dr. Spencer Reid. He asked me to call you.”_

 

“Wait, Spencer’s in the hospital?” Derek exclaimed into the phone, his confusion immediately changing into extreme worry. He saw Hotch glance sharply over at him from the driver’s seat, but all of Derek’s attention was focused on the phone.

 

 _“Um, yes, he came in on an ambulance about fifteen minutes ago and I almost immediately determined that he needed to be admitted,”_ Dr. Brown said quickly as if hoping to soften the blow if she said everything all at once.

 

“Well, what’s wrong with him?!” Derek practically yelled, frustrated at the lack of forthcoming information about his obviously very sick partner.

 

 _“Oh, he uh… he requested that I not share details and to just assure you that he’s fine. And he is! He uh… well, he just wants you here and someone, probably him, will explain things then,”_ Dr. Brown stuttered out, again sounding unsure of herself. _“Ok?”_

 

“No, it’s not ok!” Derek roared into the phone, not knowing who to be angrier with: the inexperienced intern pretending to be a doctor, or Spencer! “Why the Hell wouldn’t he want me to know what’s wrong with him?!”

 

 _“I’m so sorry, sir, but I can’t give out information that the patient has expressly said not to give out,”_ Dr. Brown answered sadly, honestly sounding very apologetic. _“Just come to the hospital and things will be explained to you.”_

 

Derek growled and hung up the phone without answering, afraid that he would hurt the little girl’s feelings with his anger. He ran his hands over his scalp in frustration and fought the urge to punch out the window.

 

“They wouldn’t give you any details?” Hotch hazarded to ask, concern clear in his voice.

 

“No,” Derek answered through gritted teeth. “Apparently Spencer told them not to give me any details and just to assure me that he was ok.”

 

Hotch sighed and gripped the stearing wheel a little harder. “That sounds like Reid,” he mumbled as he shook his head. “Where is he?”

 

“St. Mary’s Memorial,” Derek answered as he gripped the legs of his pants so hard his knuckles turned white. “Do you know where that is?”

 

“Yeah,” Hotch said with a brief nod of his head as he pressed down a little further on the accelerator.

 

“Good,” Derek mumbled, unable to say anything more. He was angry, yes, but he was more worried. What could be so bad that Spencer didn’t want him to know what was wrong, but not so bad that he was still ultimately ok? How was that even possible?! All he could do at the moment, however, was take deep breaths and try to compose himself before he did something he regretted.


	6. Naturally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this wasn't updated as fast as some people would have liked. I honestly worked as fast as I could while making sure that the chapter wasn't sub-standard in any way. It's a little shorter than the others, but I hope you still enjoy it. I'll again attempt to update as fast as I can after this. Thank you to everyone who is still interested in this story and I always love to see comments and kudos! :D
> 
> *As a side note, I got a comment asking why none of the doctors were freaked out about seeing a man in labor. I honestly thought that readers would assume, given the categories of hermaphrodites that I provide in each of my mpreg stories, that a man in labor was not a once in a lifetime thing. I wrote this as a response to the comment and will continue posting something like it in every story I have where Spencer goes into labor (because that happens a lot lol) just to clear up any confusion. Sorry if anyone didn't understand and hopefully this will shed light in any dark places:
> 
> Well, as I've specifically stated in all of my mpreg stories, I write from a set list of categories of hermaphrodites which I created and explained myself (always a note at the end of the first chapter of each of my mpreg stories). Being that hermaphrodites are common enough to get classifications in my world, I would assume that they are common enough that seeing a man in labor would be no surprise. Maybe not an everyday thing, but definitely not something completely out of the ordinary. I hope this clears that up.

As Hotch sped down the highway toward St. Mary’s Memorial, he couldn’t help but blame himself for Derek not being at home when Spencer needed him. After all, Hotch had a whole team to pick from, why had he needed Derek specifically?

 

“I know what you’re thinking, Hotch,” Derek said suddenly from the passenger seat, slightly startling Hotch. “But you can stop right now. It’s not your fault.”

 

Hotch shook his head and let out a little chuckle. “It’s a little eerie how well we can read each other, Morgan.”

 

“Yeah that’s the hazard of working with profilers,” Derek answered, a small grin gracing his worried features. “Especially in a group as close as ours.”

 

Hotch smirked and nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the road. A moment later, though, he sighed and was the epitome of stoic and somber once more. “In all seriousness… I’m sorry for pulling you away from Reid. He might have not ended up in the hospital if you had been there with him.”

 

“Hotch, it’s not your fault, man,” Derek insisted with a shake of his head. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine for not making Spencer see a doctor earlier!”

 

“Make him?” Hotch said with an amused scoff. “I don’t think _any_ of us could ever _make_ Reid do something he didn’t want to do. He’s as stubborn as the day is long.”

 

Derek laughed out loud and replied with, “Ain’t that the truth!” He chuckled for a moment longer but then fell silent. He sighed heavily and leaned his head back against the headrest. He closed his eyes and just tried not to think about what could be happening to his precious baby boy. He honestly didn’t know what he’d do if something ever happened to Spencer. The genius had become such a big part of Derek’s life that it physically hurt him to even _think_ about something happening to Spencer.

 

Derek startled when he suddenly felt a hand on his knee. He looked down and saw Hotch pat his knee twice before withdrawing his hand. Derek looked over at Hotch, who was glancing back at him while still trying to keep his eyes mostly on the road.

 

Hotch’s voice was as warm as his eyes and full of confidence as he said, “He’ll be alright. He’s too stubborn not to be.”

 

Derek smirked and felt some of the pressure lift from him. “I hope so,” he whispered, more to himself than to Hotch. “I really hope so.”

 

* * *

 

 

Spencer Reid was in agony. He had no idea that so many pain sensors existed in his lower abdomen and personal parts! He groaned loudly as he felt the pressure in his pelvis increase even more than he thought was possible.

 

The nurses that had wheeled him up to the maternity ward had helped him change into a gown and climb into a reclined bed with built-in stirrups and hand-grip bars, but the doctor had yet to show up. One of the nurses, Spencer thought she said her name was Jane, said that the doctor would be along any minute and for him not to worry. However, with his contractions coming at just about a minute apart, not worrying was becoming harder and harder to do. Where the Hell was that stupid doctor?!

 

As if summoned by his thoughts, a middle-aged woman with long red hair pulled back into a braid walked through the door. She wore bright pink scrubs, a white lab coat, and a large smile on her face. “Hello Dr. Reid, my name is Dr. Katherine Scott. How are you feeling today?”

 

Spencer rolled his eyes and literally bit his tongue to keep from yelling at the overly-happy woman. Why did everyone have to be so damn happy when he was in such misery?! He just sighed, grit his teeth, and closed his eyes. “I feel like I’m having a baby. The EMTs said you could give me a spinal block or something for the pain. Can you do that?”

 

Dr. Scott smiled a little wider and walked over toward the end of the table. “Well let’s see how far you’re progressing and then see what we can do about it, ok?” She pulled a stool up and sat down so that she was eye-level with his bottom, the pulled his gown up slightly, and pushed his knees a little further apart.

 

Spencer could feel her gloved fingers probing and poking around his dilated opening, but she didn’t say anything. After a bit, Spencer groaned in frustration. “Well? Can you give me something or not?”

 

Dr. Scott glanced up at Spencer from her position between his legs and gave him a hesitant smile. “No, I’m sorry, I can’t,” she answered and then gave a little nervous chuckle. “It’s too late for that, unfortunately.”

 

“Too late? What do you mean?” Spencer asked fearfully as he furrowed his eyebrows.

 

“Well, if you’d been given a spinal block as soon as you came into the ER, perhaps it would have been soon enough to take effect,” she answered professionally as she gave a knowing glance to one of the nurses who were still in the room, preparing it. “However, since it normally takes between 10 to 30 minutes for a spinal block to take effect, giving you one now would be pointless. Also, it’s unsafe to give epidurals or spinal blocks this far along… Your baby’s head is beginning to crown… It just looks like you’re just going to have to do this the natural way.”

 

Spencer’s eyes grew wide and he found himself close to panic when what she said finally registered. If the contractions felt like agony now, how would they feel when he was actually pushing the baby out?! However, he didn’t have long to ponder on the pain that was to come because another contraction hit 10 seconds before he was expecting it.

 

“Oh god!” he wailed out as he threw his head back in pain. His body wanted to push, but Spencer was almost afraid to do so. Would it hurt more? He didn’t know if he could handle any more pain! When the contraction ended, Spencer slumped back onto the bed and panted. He was close to tears from the pain, exhaustion, and frustration of it all.

 

“Ok, Dr. Reid, that was a really good contraction,” Dr. Scott said kindly as she smiled up at Spencer. “On the next one, I want you to push using your pelvic floor muscles, alright?”

 

Spencer looked at the doctor like she was crazy, wondering what on Earth could have constituted the last contraction as a “good” contraction, but nodded in response to her question anyway. With how much he had to fight _not_ to push during the last one, he didn’t know if he’d have any other choice anyway.

 

Before he knew it, the next contraction was making itself known, so Spencer gripped the bars on either side of the bed, bore down, and pushed with all his might. He vaguely heard the doctor advising him to breathe, but the pain was so intense that he couldn’t tell if he was following her advice or not. He screamed in agony when he felt something large and hard start to stretch itself out of his opening.

 

“Oh, you’re making such good progress!” Dr. Scott exclaimed when Spencer finally collapsed down onto the bed once more. “If you keep that up, you’ll have your baby in your arms before you know it!”

 

Spencer tried to smile at that statement, but just couldn’t muster the energy. The contractions were coming almost back to back now, which left him little time to regain his composure and strength. All he could do was mentally repeat to himself, ‘ _Keep pushing and breathing and soon you’ll have a baby. Just remember that you were the one who wanted a baby in the first place.’_

 

Agony replaced his mantra and he found himself bearing down once more, pushing through the contraction. “Holy Fuck!” he howled and then loudly moaned as his hole was stretched even further over the baby trying to make its way out of him. He was completely grateful to the kind nurse, possibly named Jane, who came over to the bed, as Spencer once again sank down between contractions, to wipe a cool cloth over his forehead.

 

Spencer closed his eyes and fought not to sob. He could feel the tears running down his face, but he couldn’t lift his arms to wipe them away. His whole body felt like lead and he just wanted his misery to be over. He just knew that he wouldn’t be able to sit right for at least a week!

 

He continued to push and wail and scream through the painful contractions as they kept coming, but he was quickly wearing down. His thoughts were turning incoherent and unorganized, running between wishes for relief to death threats to Derek for putting him in this position to hoping that Derek would soon arrive to offer some comfort to Holy-Mary-Mother-of-God-that-hurts! His emotions were everywhere and the whole world was agony.

 

Spencer lost the fight and sobbed when he heard Dr. Scott finally say, “Ok, one more push and the shoulders will be out!”

 

That statement gave him just enough energy to bear down one last time and push with everything he had left. Suddenly, all the pressure was gone as he felt the baby slide free of his aching body. He quickly wilted, the last of the adrenaline fading, and he started to weakly laugh and sob at the same time.

 

Spencer looked down as Dr. Scott handed over a small, slightly purple baby to the nurse-named-Jane, who held a white towel in her hands. She took the baby readily and started to wipe it clean. As Dr. Scott cut the cord and clamped off the stump, Jane used a small nasal aspirator to clear the baby’s nose and throat.

 

Spencer full-out sobbed when the room was filled with the baby’s wails of discomfort and confusion. All he could think was, ‘ _Oh god, I just had a baby! I can’t believe I just had a baby!’_

 

“Alright, Dr. Reid, one more push to expel the placenta and you’re all done,” Dr. Scott said warmly, turning back around to face Spencer directly in the privates.

 

Spencer just nodded weakly and continued to sob as one last, almost gentle, contraction hit him and he pushed out the afterbirth. He then nearly completely relaxed back into the bed, hoping that the worst was now over. The room seemed to be immediately plunged into chaos once more, however, as Dr. Scott, Jane, and the other nurse all began to talk at once.

 

“Do you want to donate the cord blood?” Dr. Scott asked, looking expectantly at him.

 

“Baby girl, born June 23 at 6:15pm. 6 pounds, 7 ounces,” Jane said as she weighed the still crying baby.

 

“Do you want to name her now?” the other nurse asked as she filled out the birth certificate.

 

Spencer’s eyes grew wide and he looked between the three women, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with so many strangers looking at him. That feeling was taken away a moment later when Jane walked over and gently placed the baby girl in his arms. As he looked down at his new daughter, the world suddenly felt like a much better place and he instantly knew that all the pain he’d just gone through was completely worth it.

 

The baby was perfect. She had light, mocha colored skin and big caramel-colored eyes that seemed to take up 2/3 of her face. Wisps of dark brown hair covered her scalp and, when he reached up to brush his thumb over her cheek, he found that her skin felt like silk. Spencer instinctively rocked and bounced her gently to get her to quiet down and, to his immense surprise, she did almost immediately. She looked up at him and seemed to meet his eyes, even though he knew that, in reality, she probably couldn’t see much of anything clearly.

 

Spencer smiled as everything in life seemed to fall into place. He didn’t take his eyes off his new child as he answered the doctor and nurse in a hoarse voice. “Yes, I’d like to donate the cord blood. And her name… her name is Loretta… Loretta Michelle Morgan.”


	7. She's Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update (things got super hectic all of a sudden!). I just want to assure you all that I will NEVER leave a story unfinished, even if it does take me a while to update them. You have my word on that! Thanks again for all the comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

As Spencer sat on the hospital bed, Loretta cradled in his arms, he started to wonder what the Hell he was thinking. He didn’t know anything about taking care of a baby! Ever since the doctors had told him that he’d never have biological children, he’d avoided baby books and information like the plague. It had always just been too painful, knowing all that information and yet also knowing that he’d probably never have a chance to use it.

 

Now, however, he wished he would have researched the subject despite his personal feelings. He didn’t even really know enough to make a full grocery list of necessary materials! What did he need? A crib, obviously… but were there some that were better than others? Safer? ‘ _I guess I’ll have to just grit my teeth and look up reviews on the accursed Internet,’_ he thought bitterly.

 

A smile curved his lips and all bitter thoughts left his mind as Loretta softly cooed in her sleep. The nurses and doctor had left the room after they’d helped him give Loretta her first bottle, telling him that, because he was a Category Q, he wouldn’t start producing milk until a few hours after delivery and so he wouldn’t be able to breastfeed until tomorrow at the earliest. They were going to keep him the hospital for a day or so, not only so that a specialist could come and show him the proper way to breastfeed his new baby, but also because his opening had ripped slightly during labor and delivery and they wanted to make sure he didn’t get an infection.

 

Spencer appreciated the concern and care that the hospital staff were showing him, but he really wanted nothing more than to take Loretta home. As he thought of home, though, he thought of Derek. Where was he anyway? Had Dr. Brown not called him? Was Derek now at home, worried because Spencer wasn’t there and no one had told him what was going on?!

 

Spencer closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the pillows, and took a deep breath. ‘ _No! I can’t think like that. Dr. Brown said she’d call him so I have to trust that she did and Derek is on his way…’_

 

However, that thought brought him little comfort. After all, he’d told Dr. Brown not to give Derek any details. Would Derek be mad? Would he yell at Spencer for withholding information? Spencer had only done it so Derek wouldn’t worry so much and be reckless in finishing up his work and getting to the hospital! But was that really the smartest thing to do? Spencer had been scared and in pain and maybe not thinking very straight at the time… Derek might be even _more_ worried and, thus angry, if he didn’t know what was wrong. Spencer knew that he himself would have been extremely worried, and just a little pissed, if Derek was in the hospital and hadn’t wanted Spencer to know what was going on.

 

Spencer blew out a breath as guilt started to build in the pit of his stomach. He looked down at his daughter and smiled again when she snuggled closer into his chest. “Let’s hope Daddy isn’t too mad at us, little one,” he whispered as he moved to stroke a thumb over her cheek lovingly. He then bent down as far as he could with his sore stomach muscles to plant a little kiss on her tiny forehead. “I hope he loves you as much as I already do…”

 

* * *

 

 

Hotch had barely pulled into a parking space before Derek had the door open and was running toward the hospital’s front doors. Hotch sighed and shook his head as he turned the SUV off, got out, and then locked the doors behind him. He knew how Derek was feeling, but it was still somewhat frustrating how one-minded he could be.

 

As he followed Derek into the hospital, he pulled out his phone. He knew that the rest of the team would be upset if no one told them that Spencer was in the hospital, so he sent out a quick text to JJ, Emily, Dave, and Garcia, telling them what hospital Spencer was in and that he didn’t know any details.

 

Hotch sighed once again and put his phone back into his suit pocket. He hoped that whatever was wrong wasn’t too serious and that, when the rest of the team arrived, they would have some answers about their ailing genius.

 

* * *

 

 

Derek ran directly up to the information desk and slapped his palms down on the counter, making the timid-looking secretary jump slightly as her eyes grew wide. “I’m looking for Spencer Reid,” Derek said quickly and as calmly as he could muster.

 

The secretary nodded her head and started to type on the computer when a voice came from across the hall to the right. “Are you Derek Morgan?”

 

Derek wheeled around to face a young woman with short, dark hair and an expectant smile on her face. She was wearing mint green scrubs and a white lab coat, which gave her the air of authority in the hospital, but that was completely negated when he saw that she was wringing her hands together.

 

“Yeah, I’m SSA Derek Morgan. Who are you?” Derek answered in a short, clipped voice that was clouded by worry as Hotch finally made it into the hospital and stepped up right behind Derek.

 

“I-I’m Dr. Amelia Brown. I’m the one who called you, Mr. Morgan,” Dr. Brown said in a small voice as she averted her eyes from Derek’s hard gaze.

 

Derek stiffened at Dr. Brown’s introduction, remembering that _she_ was the one who wouldn’t tell him what was wrong with Spencer. In Derek’s mind, it didn’t matter that she _couldn’t_ tell him anything as per Spencer’s instructions; it was still her fault!

 

Hotch must have noticed Derek’s posture because he suddenly put his left hand on Derek’s shoulder while he held his right hand out to Dr. Brown. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Brown. I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Reid’s boss, friend, and emergency contact after Morgan. Can you tell us why he was admitted to the hospital?”

 

Dr. Brown’s eyes grew wide as she glanced at Hotch’s hand, looking as if she thought it was going to burn her if she touched it. However, she took a deep breath, stiffened her back, and reached out to clasp Hotch’s hand. They shook briefly before their hands released. This action seemed to give Dr. Brown some courage because she fixed a smile to her face and then looked up to meet Derek’s and Hotch’s eyes. “I’m on break right now so I can take up to the ward Dr. Reid is in. I don’t know the exact room but we can find out there.”

 

Derek breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that he was _finally_ getting somewhere in finding out what was wrong with Spencer. “Lead the way,” he said, purposefully making sure that his voice didn’t sound so harsh this time around.

 

Dr. Brown nodded and then turned around to walk toward the elevators, Derek and Hotch hot on her heels. After she pressed the call button and while they were waiting for the elevator to arrive, she turned to face the two men once more. “You um… you probably have some questions, but I’m still not legally able to tell you any details… but trust me, everything will be explained as soon as you see Dr. Reid… probably,” she stuttered out, all previous courage gone from her voice and demeanor.

 

Derek closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and just sighed. He didn’t say anything because he was afraid his temper would present itself once more if he even opened his mouth. He really hated not knowing details, and this woman _definitely_ wasn’t making the situation any more tolerable, but he supposed that he could put up with it for a little while longer. He opened his eyes when he heard the elevator ding and the doors open to their floor.

 

Hotch, Derek, and Dr. Brown all stepped into the elevator and Dr. Brown pressed the button for the fourth floor. They all shared a very awkward ride up to the correct floor and Derek, for one, was glad when the doors opened once more and they could walk out.

 

Derek, however, stopped dead when he saw what ward they were in. “Maternity?!” he asked incredulously as he wheeled around to face Dr. Brown, an accusing look on his face. “Did you get the wrong floor or something? What’s going on here?!”

 

“P-Please, Mr. Morgan,” Dr. Brown answered in a small voice, averting her eyes as she walked around the angry man in front of her. “I-If you’ll just follow me, everything will be explained.”

 

Derek groaned low in his throat as he reluctantly turned and followed Dr. Brown over to the ward’s information desk. He shot a quick glance over at Hotch and was surprised to see that his eyes were wide and he had a look of complete shock on his face. ‘ _What the Hell is going on here?’_ Derek wondered to himself, the knot of tension in his stomach twisting tighter.

 

“Dr. Brown!” the nurse behind the desk exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. “What brings you up to this ward?”

 

Dr. Brown smiled back and responded with, “I’m on my break and so I decided to lead these men up to see Dr. Spencer Reid. Can you tell me what room he’s in?”

 

The nurse quickly entered the information into the computer and a moment later, looked back up at Dr. Brown and said, “He’s right down the hall in room 442.”

 

“Thank you,” Dr. Brown said with another smile to the nurse before she started walking down the hall, Derek and Hotch following close behind her.

 

As they got closer to the room, however, Derek broke away and started to run ahead of the other two. He was breathing heavily and didn’t hear as Hotch called to him in concern. ‘ _What could Spencer possibly be doing in the maternity ward?!’_ he asked himself as he shook his head slightly, refusing to see what was right in front of him.

 

Then he was at the door to Spencer’s room… and he found himself hesitating. He slowly lifted his hand to the knob as a million possibilities ran through his mind as to why the hospital would have put Spencer in this ward. A million possibilities… and all of them excluded the one that was currently beating a rhythm on the forefront of Derek’s mind. But he wouldn’t allow it through… he couldn’t! Derek took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then opened the door.

 

When he opened his eyes and looked into the room, though, his mind went completely and utterly blank. Spencer was sitting on the bed looking very tired but extremely nervous. He was biting his bottom lip so hard Derek thought he might soon break the skin if he wasn’t careful. Then Derek’s focus was brought further down. Spencer was cradling a very small bundle in his arms… a bundle that was wrapped in a pink blanket.

 

Derek swallowed and slowly forced himself to walk the seemingly endless distance between the door and bed. He never took his eyes off of Spencer’s arms and he didn’t notice as Hotch and Dr. Brown finally caught up to him and stopped in the doorway, not daring to disturb the scene unfolding before them.

 

“Derek?” Spencer asked softly and warily, his voice shuttering slightly as if he were afraid that Derek wasn’t really there… or that Derek would snap and lash out.

 

That realization and the fear in Spencer’s voice forced Derek out of his shock-induced state. His eyes snapped up to Spencer’s face and he immediately felt guilty for scaring the small man in front of him. “Baby boy,” he said slowly, his voice almost a whisper. “I… I don’t understand.”

 

Spencer cleared his throat then brought his hand up to shift the pink blanket slightly, revealing a tiny, caramel-colored face with closed eyes. “I um… I had a baby?” Spencer answered, his statement coming out more like a question, as if he too didn’t quite understand what had happened.

 

Derek blinked his eyes a few times and licked his lips as he tried to process Spencer’s words. ‘ _He’s not being serious, is he?’_ Derek asked himself in disbelief, reaching his hand up to wipe down over his face. ‘ _It’s not possible, is it?!’_ He cleared his throat a couple times before he asked in a hoarse voice, “Are you serious? This isn’t a joke or something, is it?”

 

Spencer shook his head violently as his eyes went wide. “No!” he exclaimed, his voice high and worried. “I wouldn’t joke about something like this…” Then his breath hitched and he broke eye contact with Derek as he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

 

When Derek saw tears start to run down Spencer’s face, he rushed forward and cupped Spencer’s cheek in his hand, tilting Spencer’s head back up so he was looking at Derek again. Derek wiped away Spencer’s tears and then earnestly said, “I’m not angry, Spencer. I… I’m just… confused.”

 

Spencer blinked and sniffed as he struggled to regain his tenuous composure. “I’m a little confused too,” he whispered in a slightly watery voice.

 

Derek shook his head and grunted in disbelief. “Did you know about this? Have you been just hiding it the whole time? Is that why you were so hesitant to go to the doctor?”

 

“No!” Spencer answered, his grip on calmness slipping once more as his lower lip trembled and tears again appeared in his eyes. “I swear I didn’t know! I had no idea until a few hours ago, Derek! You have to believe me!”

 

Derek’s heart melted at Spencer’s display of emotions and he quickly moved to soothe him. “Shh, it’s ok baby. I believe you. I mean, it’s weird and I’m pretty sure I’m still in shock… but I believe you.”

 

Spencer sniffed again as he fought to calm himself down once more. “I’m so sorry,” he said as he slowly shook his head, refusing to meet Derek’s eyes. “I wasn’t expecting this but… I can’t give her up, Derek… I just can’t.”

 

“Hey, hey,” Derek said gently, dipping his head to try to get Spencer to look at him. “I never said anything like that.”

 

“I don’t want you to leave me!” Spencer sobbed out, his grip on the baby tightening, which made her grunt and wiggle slightly in discomfort. “I don’t want to have to choose between you two! I ca-can’t!”

 

“Shh, shh, shh, I’m not going anywhere, baby boy,” Derek soothed, leaning forward so that his forehead touched Spencer’s. “And I’m not going to make you choose, ok? I would never ask you to do something like that.”

 

Spencer nodded and sniffed, but it took him a few moments to stop sobbing. He licked his lips, which were still trembling slightly, and hesitantly looked up into his lover’s face. “D-Do you… um… d-do you want to h-hold her?” he asked softly as he again looked afraid of Derek’s reaction.

 

Derek hesitated for a second before he nodded his head once and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. He took a deep breath before he held his arms out expectantly, making a conscious effort to not shake too badly.

 

Spencer slowly and carefully transferred the sleeping bundle into Derek’s waiting arms. A small smile appeared on Spencer’s face when Derek seemed to instinctively move in order to cradle the baby in a safe, comfortable way.

 

Derek, however, was mesmerized by the tiny, blanket-wrapped baby girl that he now held in his arms. She was perfect! He moved one of his hands up to gently caress the baby’s scalp, the wisps of hair soft and tickly on his palm. The baby grunted and shifted, bringing one of her tiny hands up above the blanket. Derek blinked and moved to put his index finger up to her hand, marveling the little bitty fingernails. He gasped when the baby moved to grip his finger, her hand perfectly fitting around it.

 

Derek startled when he felt a hand brush against his face. He looked up at Spencer, who was smiling lovingly back at Derek, tears streaming down his angelic face as he drew his arm back into his body. That’s when Derek noticed that his _own_ cheeks were wet and he realized that Spencer had been wiping his tears away. “Baby boy,” Derek said, his voice thick with emotion and a broad smile on his face. “She’s perfect!”

 

“I know,” Spencer said softly, his own smile growing wider at seeing Derek moved to tears over their daughter. Their daughter… he liked the sound of that. “She’s our daughter,” Spencer whispered in awe at the revelation.

 

Derek sniffed and nodded his head. “Did you name her yet?”

 

Spencer bit his bottom lip again, but didn’t look away. “It was the first name that popped into my head,” he said with a chuckle that sounded more like a sob.

 

“What is it?” Derek asked expectantly, wondering what Spencer’s brain could have come up with spur of the moment.

 

Spencer smiled shyly and finally looked away before softly answering, “Loretta Michelle.”

 

Derek’s eyes grew wide and he sucked in a breath. “Spencer…” he said slowly, his voice slightly distant.

 

“W-We can change it if you don’t like it,” Spencer said quickly, looking back up at Derek, worry once more present on his face.

 

Derek blew out the breath he had been holding, but then smiled again. “No, baby boy,” he whispered as he looked back down at the baby in his arms. “It’s perfect.”

 

Spencer relaxed and also began to smile once more as he watched the man he loved cradle their newborn.

 

Derek chuckled softly to himself as he stared at little Loretta. ‘ _Well, this definitely wasn’t what I expected out of today,’_ he thought wryly to himself. The whole _thing_ was extremely unexpected… but when Loretta opened her big brown eyes to stare up at the person holding her, Derek knew he wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I plan on explaining the significance of the baby's name in the next chapter :)


	8. Let's Do This Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I had the time and wrote this in just a few hours so I hope it lives up to expectations. Let me know what you think and thanks to everyone who is still sticking with me!
> 
> Also, I have no idea what Derek's mother's middle name is (I really don't think they ever mention it). And, obviously, I've played around just a little with Derek's family history to suit my own plans. Hope no one minds! If anything is left unsaid or if anyone has any questions, please ask! Again, I wrote this in just a few hours so there's bound to be a few mistakes (sorry about that!).

As Hotch stood in the doorway of the hospital room and watched the small family interact with each other, he couldn’t help but smile. Their joy at the new baby was infectious and he couldn’t think of a better couple to be blessed with such a happy surprise. However, thinking about the baby being such a surprise gave him a headache and made him sigh.

 

This whole situation was going to be a legal _nightmare_! How was he going to explain to the higher-ups that Spencer suddenly needed maternity leave? Not to mention if the story ever got out, the whole BAU would be brought into question. After all, how could Spencer, a genius and supposedly one of the best profilers in the country, totally miss the signs and not realize he was pregnant until he was in labor?

 

Hotch understood that Spencer could be scatterbrained and completely pessimistic about life, both of which probably led to him completely overlooking what was happening within his own body… but he wasn’t so sure the rest of the FBI or the public would understand. Hotch would have to work hard to keep this hushed up and keep the FBI from asking too many questions, but he knew it was worth it. Seeing Spencer and Derek so happy was such a rare thing and Hotch was only too pleased to make sure they stayed that way for as long as possible.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone telling him he had a message. Hotch reached in his pocket and grabbed his phone, surprised when he saw that he didn’t just have one message, but twelve! He sighed and shook his head, sure that the majority of them would be from JJ and Garcia. He quickly checked them all, discovering that the four remaining team members were all apparently waiting down in the hospital lobby because reception couldn’t give them any information on Spencer.

 

Hotch looked up at Spencer and Derek once more, glad to see that they still seemed to be in their own little world together, and quietly slipped from the room to make his way down to the rest of his team.

 

* * *

 

 

Dr. Amelia Brown wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She had wanted to say hello to Spencer and see his baby, but she didn’t think that she should interrupt his time with his boyfriend. After all, she was just the doctor who was too incompetent to know what to do when someone was in labor… she had found out not long ago that Spencer had had to have a natural delivery because of her failure to act quickly enough to give him a spinal block. She felt terrible for that! Even though she _was_ just an intern, that didn’t give her an excuse to freeze up and not do the job that she was being trained to do!

 

She turned to leave, determined to not look like some sort of stalker with an infatuation because one of her patients had been nice to her, but stopped when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and found Spencer looking her way. He had a tired smile on his face but he gestured for her to come toward him anyway.

 

“I-I’m sorry for intruding,” she quickly said as she hesitantly made her way over to the bed.

 

“You’re not intruding, Dr. Brown,” Spencer said softly but adamantly. “I wanted to apologize for being rude earlier. My thoughts weren’t really on what I was saying, if you know what I mean.”

 

“You weren’t rude!” Dr. Brown answered quickly, shaking her head back and forth almost violently. “In fact, you were very encouraging and one of the nicest patients I’ve ever had!” She blurted out the last part without thinking about it and she immediately reprimanded herself mentally. ‘ _You sound pitiful! A doctor should not sound pitiful in front of her patients!’_

 

Spencer, however, just smiled a little wider at her words and replied, “Yeah, patients and their families can be mean and inconsiderate, but it’s mostly because they’re usually hurt or scared or worried… or all of the above. But believe me, people really _do_ appreciate what you and the other doctors do for them. Sometimes, it just takes a while for that appreciation to make itself known.”

 

Dr. Brown was stunned to silence at Spencer’s words. How could this man always be so kind and encouraging to her? Especially after how she’d messed up so badly?!

 

As if he could read her mind, Spencer shook his head and said, “It wasn’t your fault, Dr. Brown. You were scared and didn’t know what to do. It’s ok. Look at it this way: at least now, you know what to do the _next_ time someone comes in and is about to have a baby!”

 

Everyone laughed at that and Derek, who was still holding the baby in his arms, said, “Yeah, I suppose that’s what you call real on-the-job training!” That comment only served to make everyone laugh even more. When the baby opened her big brown eyes and started fussing, though, the room went silent and Derek started bouncing her in his arms to quiet her down.

 

Dr. Brown smiled at the sight. “She looks a lot like you, Mr. Morgan,” she said softly, slightly amazed at the baby’s lightly tanned skin and brown, wispy hair.

 

“Thanks,” Derek answered, his voice filled with emotion as he gently stroked his hand over his daughter’s small head. Then he cleared his throat and looked up at Dr. Brown. “And please, it’s Derek. Sorry for being a little harsh earlier… I was just scared.”

 

“It’s quite alright, Derek,” Dr. Brown answered with a smile, but then caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. “Oh, my break ends soon. I’d better go. Congratulations to the both of you. Your daughter is beautiful.”

 

“Thank you, Dr. Brown,” Spencer said as his eyes were once again drawn down to the tiny bundle in Derek’s arms. “Please feel free to stop by anytime you want while we’re here.”

 

Dr. Brown just smiled and turned to walk away. She stopped at the door, however, and looked back at the two men with their baby. “I forgot to ask,” she said suddenly, drawing their attention. “What’s her name?”

 

Both parents smiled and Spencer opened his mouth to answer, but Derek beat him to it. “This sweet girl here is Little Lorie Morgan.”

 

Spencer frowned slightly at Derek and crossed his arms over his chest. “What, you’re already giving her nicknames?” he said somewhat indignantly, but there was a humor in him that was trying to break through his façade. He then turned to Dr. Brown, who was still standing by the door with a slight smile on her face, and said, “Her _name_ is Loretta Michelle.”

 

“It’s beautiful,” Dr. Brown softly said, her smile growing wider at seeing how happy the little family was. “Congratulations again and hopefully I’ll see you once more before you’re discharged.” She then turned and left the room, confident that the rest of her shift would be just a little bit brighter than it had been.

 

* * *

 

 

When Hotch walked into the lobby, he was suddenly accosted by three frantic women all asking questions at the same time. “Whoa, everyone quiet down!” he said authoritatively, looking around the room for Rossi and finding him a few steps back from the women with an amused smirk on his face. Hotch could tell he was concerned about Spencer, but it also seemed that the sight of all the women going frantic over the boy genius was tickling his fancy more than he could hide.

 

“Hotch, what’s wrong with Spence?” JJ demanded, worry lines marking the pale skin of her face.

 

Hotch sighed and looked around for an unpopulated area of the lobby. Finding one, he pointed and said, “Let’s go over there so we won’t be disturbed.” He then walked to where he was pointing and waited for the others to gather around him.

 

He took a deep breath and looked into each of their expectant faces before he began. “There really isn’t a delicate or roundabout way to say this so I’m just going to put it bluntly. Reid uh… well, he uh… he had a baby.”

 

If it wouldn’t have been entirely inappropriate given the context, Hotch would have laughed at the wide-eyed and shocked expressions that overtook everyone’s faces. No one spoke for a few moments as they tried to process what Hotch had said.

 

“Wait… Reid had a _baby_?!” Emily exclaimed in a tone of complete disbelief. “Since when has he been _pregnant_?!”

 

Hotch leveled an incredulous look at her and deadpanned, “Well, since he had the baby today, I’d say since 8 or 9 months ago…”

 

That seemed to cut the tension and shock because everyone suddenly laughed. Hotch rarely showed humor or sarcasm so they knew the situation must not have been _too_ bad.

 

“Are you serious, Aaron?” Rossi asked after everyone had gone silent again. “I mean, I know your middle name is ‘Serious’ and you never joke, but I just want to make sure… you’re not joking, are you?”

 

Hotch smirked at Rossi’s comment but then shook his head. “No, I’m not joking. I assure you, I’m as shocked as you are right now. Of all the things I was expecting when I got here… this wasn’t even on my list.”

 

“You don’t seem very shocked,” Emily commented. Her eyes were still wide but she was smiling.

 

“Well, I guess some of the shock has worn off, but mostly it’s because I don’t think Spencer can handle any more emotional outbursts today,” Hotch said solemnly, wiping one of his hands down over his face. “He’s acting tough, like he usually does, but I can tell he’s barely holding on. It’s understandable, really. He’s had the biggest shock out of all of us today.”

 

The team went silent again at this. Of course Spencer would be shocked and frazzled. He’d just had a _baby_ that he apparently had no idea he was _carrying_!

 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Garcia exclaimed suddenly, looking around at everyone like she was the only sane one in the group. “My baby obviously needs some comfort and hugs and OMG I _need_ to see what _has_ to be the most beautiful child on the face of this Earth!”

 

Everyone laughed at Garcia’s enthusiasm. It was nothing more or less than they expected from her.

 

“Why don’t we visit the gift shop and do this properly?” JJ suggested, a wide, happy smile spreading across her face.

 

“JJ you are a _GENIUS_!” Garcia exclaimed and quickly linked her arms with JJ’s and Emily’s before heading off across the hall to buy presents.

 

Hotch shook his head but let out a small chuckle nonetheless. “Come on, Dave,” he said with good humor, gesturing after the girls. “Let’s make sure they don’t buy the whole gift shop.”

 

* * *

 

 

Derek was sitting in a rocking chair next to the hospital bed, holding his little girl close to his heart. He was gently rocking back and forth and just watching her sleep in his arms.

 

Spencer was absolutely exhausted and still sore, but he had still fought to stay awake in order to spend the most time with Derek and their newborn. However, Derek had finally convinced him that he would get more out of the experience if he wasn’t dead on his feet. Spencer had finally conceded the point and had fallen asleep almost immediately.

 

Every now and then, Derek would glance up at Spencer’s sleeping form and watch his chest gently rise and fall. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face when Spencer and Loretta both grunted in their sleep at nearly the same time. ‘ _Like mother, like daughter,’_ he thought fondly, but then stopped himself. What _would_ Spencer want to go by? Technically, he was their daughter’s father _and_ mother. Would he want to be mommy or daddy? And, if he wanted to be daddy, what would Derek go by? Papa? Dadda? Hey you?

 

Derek chuckled and decided he didn’t really care. He and Spencer would figure it out together later.

 

Derek looked between his lover and his daughter once more and then sighed. What he really wanted to know was _why_ Spencer had named the baby what he did. Having to go through the delivery pretty much on his own without any support other than the doctor and nurses, Derek would have thought that Spencer would have named the little girl after his own mother or something…

 

Instead their daughter was named entirely after two women on Derek’s side. Loretta was _his_ mother’s middle name and Michelle… well Michelle was the name of his little sister who had died when she was 3. He didn’t often talk about her because he was only 6 at the time so he really didn’t have a lot of memories of her. But Derek had mentioned to Spencer years ago that he’d had another sister who had been killed by a hit-and-run driver right in front of the house he’d grown up in… and Spencer had _remembered_!

 

‘ _Of course he remembered, you dummy!’_ he yelled at himself as he gazed at Spencer with love and a little admiration. ‘ _He’s_ Spencer _! Spencer remembers_ everything _!’_ But Derek knew that wasn’t true. There were many things that Spencer couldn’t remember. The only bits of information that he couldn’t forget were things that he read or saw… so Spencer remembering something that Derek had just said almost in passing just _astounded_ Derek!

 

He was honestly touched by Spencer’s gesture. Whether he’d meant to or not, Spencer had picked the perfect name for their daughter… and a name that would thus make Derek love Spencer even more than he thought possible. Because it was such a little gesture… a name… a name that meant almost _everything_ to Derek… and Spencer probably didn’t even know what he’d done.

 

A tear of joy leaked down Derek’s face and fell onto little Loretta’s cheek, making her squirm and whine as she scrunched up her face. Derek chuckled and wiped off the offending wetness with his thumb. She quieted down almost immediately and Derek sighed. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the chair. As he gently rocked back and forth, he decided that life was good at the moment. He had the man of his dreams and a new baby… what more could he ask for?

 

Instantly, an answer popped into his head. He knew what would make this whole situation even more perfect. It was something that Derek had been putting off for a long time because he was scared. Now, however, he wasn’t really sure why it had seemed so frightening at _all_. It wasn’t something to be feared… it was _perfect_!

 

He nodded his head, his mind made up. As soon as they were home and got things situated with Loretta, Derek would do it. A bubble of excitement formed in his chest at the prospect and he just couldn’t wait until the time was right.


	9. Do You Even Have a Crib?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to get this chapter out. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and I really hope I didn't lose many of you because of the long wait. I had a bit of writers block along with a TON of coursework that all piled up at once, but I'm going to try to update most if not all of my stories within this week (starting with this one because it seems to be the most popular). I wrote this in a few hours and tried to proof quickly so I could post asap so if there are any glaring mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. I hope you enjoy this and as always, I love the feedback you give me! :)

As soon as Spencer woke up, he knew something was wrong. His eyes burned and felt swollen, and he felt cold and shivery but he could tell he was sweating. ‘ _This can’t be good…’_ he thought to himself almost absently. His mind felt a little fuzzy, like his head was full of cotton, and, as he licked his lips, he noticed that his mouth was dry and his tongue just felt… weird.

 

He blinked his eyes a few times and then cleared his throat. “Derek?” he slurred out as he tried to clear his senses enough to understand what was going on.

 

He heard movement off to his left, in response to his question, and then a warm voice say, “Hey there, pretty boy. How are you feeling?”

 

Spencer lazily rolled his eyes over toward the sounds and attempted to focus on the tall, dark figure standing next to the bed. “I don’t feel so good,” he croaked out and then cleared his throat again.

 

Derek furled his brows in concern and bent down lower toward Spencer. “Look at me, baby boy,” he commanded softly, but Spencer’s eyes kept wandering around the room almost of their own accord. He really tried to keep Derek’s gaze but he just couldn’t seem to focus!

 

Spencer started awake when he felt a cool hand on his forehead. He frowned in confusion. He hadn’t even realized that he’d closed his eyes! He heard Derek say, “You have a fever… don’t worry, I’ll call for a nurse,” but by the time he was halfway through his sentence, Spencer had already drifted off to sleep again.

 

* * *

 

 

Derek was a little worried. Spencer had only been asleep for a little over 30 minutes, but when he woke, he’d been very out of it. Spencer couldn’t seem to focus and kept drifting in and out of sleep, only commenting once that he didn’t feel good.

 

Derek could tell Spencer had a fever, so he’d called a nurse into the room. After she examined Spencer, she had then called for Dr. Scott who immediately lifted the sheet over Spencer’s legs and examined his nether regions.

 

Dr. Scott quickly rattled off some things that Derek didn’t understand before turning to him. “It looks as if the tear in Spencer’s opening has gotten infected. I need to clean it out and pack it open and then start him on a round of antibiotics, but he should be fine.”

 

Derek only nodded, shocked that an infection could spring up so quickly, and watched as the nurse and doctor wheeled the hospital bed with Spencer in it out of the door.

 

Derek sighed and ran his hands down over his face. Even with the doctor’s assurances, Derek was still concerned for the health of his boyfriend. Spencer’s immune system wasn’t the best to begin with and the trauma and shock of finding out he was pregnant and then giving birth all in the same day probably hadn’t done him much good.

 

He heard a cry off to his right and looked down at Loretta in the hospital bassinet. She was wriggling and fussing, her face crinkled up in discomfort, but Derek couldn’t help but smile. Even unhappy, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

 

Then she let out a shrill wail so Derek rushed over to pick her up and comfort her. “Hey there, sweet girl,” he said softly as he held her against his chest. “What’s got you all in a tizzy, huh?”

 

Loretta kept crying so Derek bounced her up and down as he walked around the room, trying to calm her. He rubbed her back soothingly and he talked to her, but she kept on wailing and screaming, much to Derek’s dismay.

 

“She might need her diaper changed, you know,” a wry voice came from the doorway and Derek spun around to see JJ with a smirk on her face. Behind her was Hotch, Rossi, Emily, and Garcia, all with varying looks of amusement and warmth on their faces.

 

Derek smiled and shook his head, letting out a little chuckle. “Hey guys,” he said as he walked back over to the bassinet to lay the still-fussing baby down. “Welcome to the biggest shock of my life.”

 

Everyone laughed at that and then walked into the room. That’s when Derek noticed that all five people had their arms laden down with gift baskets, balloons, and various other objects from the hospital gift shop.

 

“You guys didn’t have to get things,” Derek said as he grabbed a diaper from the supply cabinet in the corner of the room.

 

“We wanted to,” JJ answered, setting down her own gift on a side table in order to head over to help Derek change the baby. She then smirked once more and added, “Besides, they’re all for Spence and the baby, anyway.”

 

“Oh, thanks,” Derek answered sarcastically with a smile on his face, reaching over to smack JJ’s arm in amusement.

 

“Where is Reid anyway?” Hotch asked, also setting down his gift of a large stuffed teddy bear with a pink shirt that had ‘It’s a Girl!’ on it.

 

Derek sighed as he began to change Loretta’s diaper and then replied, “He took a nap but when he woke up, he wasn’t feeling good so I called a nurse who then called the doctor. The doctor said he’d developed an infection in a tear he’d gotten during labor and birth so she wanted to check things over, clean the wound, and start him on antibiotics. They took him away about 10 minutes ago.”

 

The room grew somber at the news, but Garcia quickly cheered them up by saying, “Reid will be fine. The doctors are taking care of him! Now, when can we see the beautiful bundle of joy that surprised everyone with her sudden appearance?!”

 

Derek chuckled as he finished putting a clean diaper on the now seemingly satisfied baby and lifted her into his arms. “Well, come over here, baby girl!” he said and gestured with his head for Garcia to sit in the rocking chair.

 

Garcia immediately complied and squealed loudly when Derek approached and carefully handed her the tiny bundle. Loretta jumped at the noise and started to cry but Garcia quickly soothed the baby by rocking her and making comforting sounds. “Hey now, little one, don’t cry,” she said in a gentle voice as she brought one of her hands up to brush a thumb over Loretta’s tiny forehead and down her cheek. “I’m your Auntie Penelope and I am going to shower you with gifts and hugs and love and we are going to have so much fun! And when you get a little older, you can play with your cousins Henry and Jack and they are going to love you! You are going to be such a cute little girl and grow up into a _beautiful_ woman and, hey, maybe one day you’ll marry one of them!”

 

“Whoa, you can stop right there, baby girl,” Derek said, a slightly horrified look on his face at the thought of his little girl growing up and getting married.

 

“Yeah, stop trying to marry our children off to each other,” JJ said with a chuckle as she walked over toward the rocking chair and held her hands out.

 

Garcia pouted slightly but then handed the baby over to JJ who looked down into Loretta’s face and smiled. “She looks so much like you, Morgan,” she said, glancing over at Derek to see his face filled with love and pride. “But she has Spence’s eyes and goofy ears!”

 

“I do not have goofy ears,” a voice came from the doorway as a nurse pushed the hospital bed back into the room.

 

Everyone laughed until they caught sight of Spencer in the bed. He looked so small and pale, the only color in him coming from the dark circles under his eyes, and a slight pink tinge in his cheeks indicating he still had a fever. He also looked more exhausted than any of them had ever seen him before.

 

To break up some of the sadness and concern that had suddenly permeated the room, Derek smirked and said, “You do kinda have goofy ears, pretty boy.” To emphasize his point, he walked over to the bed, which the nurse had once again locked into place, and flicked one of Spencer’s ears, causing Spencer to bat Derek’s hand away and then cross his arms over his chest and pout.

 

Everyone laughed which caused Spencer to pout even more, but there was a small smile threatening to break through his frown at the mirth of his friends.

 

“Ok, Dr. Reid, you’re all set,” the nurse said as soon as she finished rehanging the IV bags and adding two new ones. “Dr. Scott has put you on a round of antibiotics to get rid of that nasty infection and a mild dose of Tramadol to help with the pain and the fever. It’ll make you sleepy and might make you a little loopy, but it’s a low enough dose that it shouldn’t be too bad. Also, none of the medications will have any adverse effects on your breastmilk so we’ll still send up the breastfeeding specialist either later this evening or early tomorrow morning. Until then, bottled milk will be provided for your baby. Do you have any questions?”

 

Spencer shook his head but didn’t meet the nurse’s eyes. He was slightly upset and more than a little embarrassed that she had said all of that in front of his entire team (especially the parts that had included the word ‘breasts’!) but there was nothing he could do about it now so he just stayed silent.

 

The nurse nodded and reached into her scrubs pocket, taking out a syringe and a glass medicine bottle filled with clear liquid. She then took the cap off the needle, stuck it in the bottle to fill the syringe, tapped the air bubbles out of the medication, and injected the Tramadol directly into Spencer’s IV catheter. “You should feel better in just a few minutes. If you have any questions or concerns at any time, just press the call button!” She then turned on her heels and left the room in silence.

 

Spencer licked his lips and looked around, noticing that everyone was staring down at him. He cleared his throat and, in a small voice, said, “Hey guys… w-what are you all doing here?”

 

JJ, who was still holding Loretta in her arms, sighed but gave Spencer a warm smile. “Why shouldn’t we be here, Spence? You’re family and you’re in the hospital. Of _course_ we’re going to be here.”

 

Spencer lowered his gaze down to stare at his hands, which were clenching the blanket that laid over his lap, and bit his lower lip. His cheeks turned a darker pink as he blushed JJ’s words. He felt like his team was family, to be sure, and he _thought_ that they felt the same about _him_ … but it was heartwarming to hear the confirmation said aloud.

 

JJ just smiled wider and walked over toward the bed. She then sat down on the edge and leaned forward so she could hand the baby over to him.

 

Spencer looked up when JJ sat down and then smiled when he realized what she was doing. He reached forward and suddenly only had eyes for the tiny baby being handed over to him. Spencer cradled the little bundle to his chest and leaned back into the pillows, sighing contentedly as he shut his eyes.

 

“Aww, how cute!” Garcia squealed as she stood up to take a picture with her cell phone.

 

Spencer startled and opened his eyes, gazing around wildly as the baby whined and grunted on his chest, upset at being disturbed by Garcia’s squeals once again.

 

“Hey, it’s ok,” Derek soothed, seeing his partner’s and daughter’s discomfort. He ran a hand up and down Spencer’s arm in a comforting fashion and said, “It’s just Garcia being Garcia.”

 

Garcia blushed and backed up a step before holding her hands up in surrender and whispering, “Sorry.”

 

“No, it’s ok,” Spencer said softly, relaxing once more into the pillows. “I like you how you are… don’t stop.”

 

Spencer then closed his eyes again so he didn’t see the members of his team giving each other pointed looks. Spencer’s words had started to slur together and he was obviously very tired.

 

“Why don’t we get some dinner and come back in a few hours?” Rossi suggested, smirking at the pout on Garcia’s face.

 

“I want to stay!” Garcia whined and looked from Derek to Spencer for any kind of help.

 

“I know baby girl, but Spencer’s tired,” Derek said apologetically as he sat down in a chair next to the hospital bed and rested a hand on his daughter’s back. “He’ll probably be feeling better when you all get back.”

 

Garcia deflated and hung her head slightly. “Oh alright,” she said and started to turn away to leave before she stopped and turned back around, an excited smile suddenly gracing her lips. “But don’t expect me not to bring more stuff back for you, Reid, and your beautiful love child! I _will_ stop somewhere and get _proper_ baby gifts, like onesies and bibs and bottles and… do you all even have a _crib?_ Or, like, _any_ baby necessities?! I bet that poor little darling needs _everything!_ Oh, I may be a bit longer than everyone else…”

 

Derek sighed and shook his head at Garcia’s rant. “Penelope, you really don’t have to do that. We’ll take care of things once Spencer’s released from the hospital –”

 

“You just stop right there, mister!” Garcia interrupted and poked a finger into Derek’s chest. “Neither of you will feel like shopping for all the proper stuff any time soon so I’m happy to do it for you. If you really want, you can pay me back for the necessities later, but right now, you need my help and your baby needs my help! And I am _never_ one to leave my friends when they need my help!”

 

Garcia nodded once, as if confirming what she had said to herself, then turned and walked toward the door. Before stepping out, she turned around once again with an incredulous look on her face. “Wait a minute!” she exclaimed loudly, gaining a handful of shushing noises from the people gathered around the room. “I don’t even know this precious child’s _name!_ What if I want to get something personalized?! How can I do that without a name?!”

 

Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes while the rest of the team just exchanged amused glances with each other. “Her name is Loretta Michelle.”

 

“Aww, how perfect!” Garcia gushed, bouncing on her toes in excitement. “Loretta Michelle Morgan… or is it Reid?”

 

“Spencer gave her my last name, so it’s Morgan,” Derek said fondly, turning loving eyes on his sleeping lover and child. “In fact, he named her entirely after my side… Loretta after my mother… Michelle after my sister…”

 

“I didn’t know you had a sister named Michelle,” Emily said, honestly surprised at Derek’s admission. “Or is that Desiree’s or Sarah’s middle name or something?”

 

Derek sighed and closed his eyes in frustration. He hadn’t meant to say so much or mention his sister… after all, he’d never told anyone but Spencer about Michelle. It was still just too painful, even after all these years. However, these people were his family and he knew that they wouldn’t push if he didn’t want them to, so he licked his lips and cleared his throat as he opened his eyes to again look at his teammates. “I had a younger sister named Michelle but she died when she was three. I was six at the time, but I still remember her… I mentioned her once to Spencer and he… well, he remembered and named our daughter after her.”

 

A moment of silence followed Derek’s words, but then JJ cleared her throat and, in a slightly watery voice, said, “Yeah, that sounds like Spence… He remembers everything and he’s selfless to the end.”

 

Everyone smiled sadly at the truth in her words. Spencer was the ultimate caregiver; always thinking of everyone else but refusing help from others for his own problems. It had, unfortunately, led to all of them missing some of his bigger issues, but that happened less and less as they learned his tells. Plus, since his relationship with Derek had formed, Spencer had less of a chance to hide his problems from everyone. Their relationship was good for them both and things had only gotten better when Spencer had finally moved in with Derek. Everyone on the team was happy for them and they all hoped that the addition of little Loretta Morgan would only cement their bond even further.

 

“Well, we’d better go so we can get back before visiting hours end,” Hotch said with a smile, glancing at everyone in turn so they knew his words weren’t a suggestion. Spencer needed rest and he wouldn’t appreciate them hovering over him while he slept.

 

JJ, Rossi, Emily, and, eventually, Garcia all nodded their heads and filed out of the room, making sure to leave their gifts on the side table next to the door before they left. Hotch, being last in line, turned around and gripped the handle to the door, intending to shut it when he left. He looked to Derek with a smile and said, “We’ll be back in a few hours unless you call or something and say not to come. Do you need anything while we’re out?”

 

Derek smiled, appreciating his boss and friend’s concern for him and his small family. “I didn’t get dinner yet so I wouldn’t turn down food, but you don’t need to bring me anything, Hotch. I’ll be fine.”

 

Hotch just smiled and nodded, saying, “I’ll be sure to bring you something so you won’t have to eat hospital food.”

 

Derek laughed and expressed his thanks as Hotch stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Derek then sighed and turned in his chair so he could grip one of Spencer’s hands in his own while keeping his other hand on his child’s back. “What did I ever do to get so lucky?” he softly asked himself as a warm smile spread across his face.


	10. My Entire World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this took me so long to post (unfortunately, real life keeps getting in the way of my fun-time lol). This was going to be the last chapter, but I couldn't fit everything in that I wanted to, so the next chapter will probably be the last. But don't cry yet! I'm already working out a sequel :) If anyone has any suggestions about situations or things they'd like to see happen in the sequel, please comment and let me know! I hope you all enjoy this!

Spencer came back into awareness, cracking his eyes open warily only to shut them again as the bright overhead light blinded him. He groaned and turned his head to the side, blinking a few times so his eyes would adjust.

 

“Hey, baby boy,” Spencer heard Derek’s gentle voice from off to his left. “You awake already?”

 

Spencer turned his head toward Derek’s voice and squinted his eyes. His head felt fuzzy and there was a sort of numb warmth over his entire body, telling him that the pain medication he’d been injected with earlier hadn’t worn off yet.

 

Derek reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of Spencer’s face. “How do you feel? You’ve only been asleep for about 45 minutes.”

 

Spencer blinked a few more times and sniffed loudly, trying to clear his senses so he could better understand the world around him. He gave up a moment later when nothing seemed to work. He cleared his throat and, with slightly slurred words, said, “I feel drugged… I don’t know if that’s good or bad though.”

 

Derek chuckled and smiled as he leaned down to plant a kiss on Spencer’s forehead. He then reached a hand down toward Spencer’s chest.

 

Spencer followed the movement with his eyes and smiled, noticing for the first time that little Loretta was still snoozing peacefully, laying facedown with her head pillowed right above Spencer’s left breast. A second later, however, the smile was wiped off his face when he realized that something was wrong… something was _very_ wrong!

 

“Get her off me for a minute,” Spencer whispered, not wanting to disturb his daughter too much, but growing increasingly worried about what he was seeing and feeling.

 

“What?” Derek asked as he wrinkled his brows in confusion. He turned his head and the confusion turned to surprise when he saw the fear and anxiety etched all over Spencer’s face.

 

“Please, I need you to take her for just a minute,” Spencer pleaded a little louder, keeping his eyes fixed on his chest. His breathing had gotten slightly erratic as panic filled his drug-fogged brain. This in turn had roused Loretta, causing her to whine and grunt in discomfort and annoyance.

 

Her eyes snapped open and she let out a wail when Derek carefully picked her up, taking her away from her warm bed. “Shhh, girl, everything’s alright,” Derek soothed as he positioned her against his own chest and bounced her gently.

 

As soon as Loretta was in Derek’s arms, Spencer sat up as quickly as he could. That, however, was a mistake because he suddenly grew dizzy and slumped back onto the bed. Undeterred, Spencer just leaned his head forward so he could get a better view of his chest. He reached up and slowly pulled down the top of the hospital gown… and then gasped.

 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Derek asked, his back turned to Spencer as he laid Loretta, who had calmed down surprisingly quickly, down in the bassinette. When Spencer didn’t answer, Derek turned and walked back over to the hospital bed. He followed Spencer’s line of sight… and smiled warmly at what he saw.

 

“I have boobs,” Spencer said softly, completely aghast over his breasts, which were now roughly the size of small oranges.

 

Derek laughed outright at Spencer’s words, amused at the effects the Tramadol had on his boyfriend’s vocabulary. “It’s all natural, baby,” he said gently, leaning down to kiss the top of Spencer’s head lovingly. “You told me yourself that the doctor told you that you would start producing milk a few hours after you gave birth.”

 

Spencer sniffed and looked up at Derek, slightly calmer than before but still worried, the pain medication preventing him from fully grasping the situation. “Yeah but… it happened so fast!” he exclaimed, his voice high and concerned. “They weren’t there when I went to sleep!”

 

“I know, hunny,” Derek soothed, cupping Spencer’s face in his palm and rubbing his thumb over Spencer’s cheek. “But it’s going to be ok. It’s just your body’s way of preparing to take care of our little girl.” He then started to lift the front of Spencer’s gown back over his exposed chest but Spencer reached out a hand and stopped him.

 

Derek furled his brows in confusion, but Spencer pouted and averted his gaze, a deep blush creeping up into his cheeks. “They’re sore,” he whined, again moving his eyes down to his chest. “And my nipples are purple!”

 

Derek chuckled and shook his head as he pressed the button to raise the head of the hospital bed and then sat down next to Spencer’s knees. “They’re not purple, baby boy,” he said as he pushed Spencer’s hand away and lifted the gown up over Spencer despite his protests. He didn’t know when the team would be coming back and he didn’t want Spencer to accidentally embarrass himself by having his chest exposed.

 

“They’re purple!” Spencer exclaimed, sounding highly upset, his pout intensifying and etching deep lines around his mouth and on his forehead. “I look funny!”

 

Derek struggled to not break down in a fit of laughter at Spencer’s plight. He knew that the medication was affecting Spencer’s emotions so he just tried to calm the love of his life down and find a way to redirect his thoughts. “They’re just dark, baby, and you don’t look funny,” he said in a warm voice full of affection. “Let’s talk about something else, ok? What do you want Loretta to call you?”

 

Spencer whipped his head up to look at Derek incredulously, all thoughts about the way he looked pushed aside. “What do I want her to call me? She can’t talk!”

 

Derek closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face. He honestly couldn’t believe that Spencer had just said that. He then sighed, opened his eyes, and grabbed one of Spencer’s hands in both of his. “Baby, I know it’s hard for you to think through the haze, but… don’t you think that she’ll eventually _learn_ how to talk?”

 

Spencer blushed again and wrapped his free arm around himself. “Yeah that’s true,” he said quietly, clearly ashamed that his brain was working slower than normal. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t be sorry, Spencer,” Derek said firmly as he reached out and put his fingers under Spencer’s chin to gently raise his head. When Spencer looked at Derek, though, Derek smirked and playfully said, “Just know that I’m going to tease you for the rest of your life about this.”

 

Spencer immediately snatched the hand that Derek was still holding away from him and hit Derek in the arm. “Jerk,” he said but a hint of a smile was slowly gracing his lips.

 

Derek just smiled widely and grabbed Spencer’s hand once more. “Yeah, but I’m _your_ jerk, baby boy,” he said, bringing Spencer’s hand up to his lips to plant a chaste kiss on the back. “And you’re stuck with me.”

 

Spencer rolled his eyes but allowed a big smile to form on his face. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he answered softly as he brought his other hand up to grip the front of Derek’s shirt and tugged gently.

 

Derek understood and leaned forward, putting a hand behind Spencer’s head as he pressed their lips together. Their love for and devotion to each other flowed through that kiss and they both would have been content to stay like that for hours.

 

A knock on the door, however, startled them both and they pulled away from each other. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” a deep voice came from the entryway. Spencer and Derek both turned to see a tall, muscular Native American man with a half-smile on his face standing right inside the door. “Hello, Dr. Reid, I’m Nathan Estee, one of the hospital’s breastfeeding specialists. My specific job is to help male mothers learn to feed their babies in a way that is comfortable and safe for both mother and child. I will talk you through certain steps but I will never touch you or your child without express permission. Do either of you have any questions?”

 

Spencer’s eyes grew wide at Nathan’s speech, his brain attempting to keep up with the quick words being thrown at him. He nodded, but then realized that that was probably the wrong response since he _didn’t_ really have any questions, so he immediately switched over to shaking his head.

 

Derek saw this and laughed. He reached over and patted Spencer’s leg in a comforting fashion, then turned back toward Nathan and said, “Sorry, he’s still a little out of it from the Tramadol. I personally don’t have any questions, but then again, I’m not the one that has to do this.”

 

Nathan contemplated that for a moment and then responded with, “Spousal support is a very important element in maintaining the comfort levels of both mother and child so it _is_ important that you be involved and understand what’s going on, Mr. Reid.”

 

Spencer snorted and started to cough, both amused and horrified at the name Nathan had given to Derek. Derek, on the other hand, just smirked as Spencer spluttered out, “He… We… I mean… We’re not… And if we _were_ , he wouldn’t… I just… oh god…”

 

Derek chuckled and rubbed a hand soothingly up and down Spencer’s thigh. He turned to Nathan and said, “Just call me Derek. We’re not married yet, but I’m more than happy to fill in the role of ‘spousal support.’”

 

Spencer blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side. “Did… Did you say ‘ _yet_ ’?”

 

Derek smiled warmly and lifted his hand to brush some hair out of Spencer’s eyes. “Maybe I did… Maybe I didn’t,” he answered teasingly, to which Spencer huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.

 

Nathan just grinned at the two men and walked over closer to the hospital bed. “Alright, Dr. Reid, well the first thing I need to do is to check how your milk production is progressing.”

 

Spencer’s eyes widened and he drew into himself as he physically moved further back in his seat. “Wh-What? Y-You mean… you have to… b-but they said I wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow morning at the earliest! C-Can’t we wait?”

 

Nathan smiled patiently and answered, “You probably won’t be able to do a full feeding until tomorrow or later, but if you have a partial development, it’s healthier for the baby to have half breastmilk and half formula rather than all formula. It’s a process, really.”

 

Spencer bit his bottom lip, still nervous about letting this stranger look at what he considered to be his ‘private parts.’

 

“Come on, hunny,” Derek said warmly, seeing the indecision and fear on Spencer’s face. “He’s a professional… and little Lorie needs to eat.”

 

Spencer swallowed audibly and licked his lips. “Will you hold my hand?” he whispered to Derek, who nodded and took one of Spencer’s hands in both of his and gave it a firm squeeze.

 

Nathan, seeing this as consent, moved forward and said, “Would you pull your gown down for me?”

 

A dark blush started to color Spencer’s cheeks, but he brought his unoccupied hand up to do as he was asked anyway.

 

Nathan scrutinized Spencer’s swollen breasts for a moment before he smiled and said, “It looks like you’re progressing a little faster than normal, which is great. You might be able to get in a full feeding today after all.”

 

Spencer sniffed but didn’t have a response so he remained quiet.

 

Derek, however, understood what was supposed to come next so he brought Spencer’s hand up to his lips and gave it a short peck before he let it go and got up off the bed to walk over to the bassinette in the corner. “Hey, little girl,” he said softly as he bent down to pick Loretta up, causing her to whine and wriggle slightly. “Are you hungry?”

 

Derek then brought the tiny bundle over to Spencer, who reached out his arms to take her. Derek, however, didn’t hand her over right away and instead instructed, “Scoot up a little, baby boy.”

 

Spencer scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, but did as Derek said without protest.

 

Derek handed Loretta to Spencer, who cradled her to his chest almost immediately, but he kept a firm hand on Spencer’s arm, helping him to hold the baby steady. Then, he deftly slid in behind Spencer and brought his other arm around Spencer’s waist. He knew that Spencer was tired but, aside from helping him to _not_ drop the baby, Derek also enjoyed the closeness as Spencer readied himself to breastfeed their daughter for the first time.

 

Spencer sighed contentedly and leaned back into Derek’s arms. Being between the two people he loved the most in the world calmed his fears and made him happy beyond words.

 

Loretta, however, seemed to be at the end of her patience and tolerance at being moved around so much because she screwed her tiny face into a scowl and then opened her mouth to let out a loud wail. Spencer bounced her gently and soothed her like an expert, instinctively bringing her up to cuddle against his left breast.

 

“Wow, you’re a natural,” Nathan commented which made Spencer blush and lean further back into Derek. “Now let her explore and if she starts mouthing at your breast, you know she’s ready to eat.”

 

Spencer nodded and followed Nathan’s directions, allowing Loretta to nuzzle against the sensitive skin of his chest. When she got to his nipple, her eyes widened almost comically and she started to rub her nose against it as she grunted in excitement.

 

“Good, she already recognizes a nipple from being bottle-fed,” Nathan said and Spencer blushed once more, this time because Nathan had said ‘nipple.’ “Alright, now here’s where it gets a little complicated, but don’t worry, your little one seems to learn very fast.”

 

“Just like her mommy,” Derek said warmly and kissed the side of Spencer’s head.

 

Spencer turned a little so he could see Derek and he smiled hesitantly. “I think I like that… being called ‘Mommy,’” he almost whispered, tears starting to form in his eyes.

 

Derek smiled and kissed Spencer’s temple, but laughed a moment later when Loretta whined pitifully because she wasn’t getting what she wanted.

 

“I think she’s ready,” Nathan said, also with a smile, enjoying how close-knit the small family seemed to be. “Now, you’re going to want to gently place the tip of your nipple at either the corner of her mouth or directly under her nose, whatever seems more natural to you. After that, she should find her own way to the nipple and hopefully latch on.”

 

Spencer nodded and bit his bottom lip as he concentrated on shifting his arms so he could grab his own breast without dropping the tiny baby. Once he got that figured out, with some help from Derek’s strong but gentle arms, he did as instructed and placed the tip of his nipple to the corner of Loretta’s mouth.

 

Loretta stilled for a moment, but then opened her mouth, moved her head to the side, and immediately latched on and started sucking.

 

Spencer gasped at the foreign feeling but then smiled as he watched Loretta move her arm up to rest next to her mouth, her tiny hand clenching and unclenching as she greedily drank the mother’s-milk.

 

"Awww, how cute!” a voice squealed from the doorway and then a flash lit up the room.

 

Spencer jumped and shrieked, both startled and embarrassed at being caught with his shirt down, which in turn caused Loretta to jump and start wailing at being rudely interrupted from her dinner.

 

Derek sighed when he looked up to see Garcia with a camera in her hands. The rest of the team was standing behind her and all of them looked either awkward, unsure, or ashamed at having interrupted what was clearly something private.

 

“Sorry,” Garcia said softly and ducked her head as a blush crept into her cheeks.

 

Before Derek had a chance to answer, however, Rossi stepped forward and put a hand on Garcia’s shoulder. With a smirk on his face, he said, “We’ll just wait in the hall until you all are done.” He then led the little group back out of the room, Hotch going last and shutting the door behind him.

 

Spencer, meanwhile, had been trying to calm Loretta down while simultaneously calming _himself_ down, but nothing seemed to work. Desperately, he looked up to Nathan, who had kept quiet when the team had barged in, and silently asked for help.

 

Nathan smiled and calmly said, “It’s alright. Things like that will happen, especially when you have a big family. Try burping her and then allow her to latch onto your other side.”

 

Spencer swiftly put Loretta up to his shoulder and began to rub and pat her back like the nurse who had shown him how to bottle-feed had demonstrated. Unfortunately, in his panic, he forgot to ask for a burp cloth so Loretta ended up spitting up on Spencer’s shoulder and down his back.

 

“Ewww,” Spencer whined and scrunched up his face in disgust.

 

Nathan quickly handed Derek a cloth out of the bassinette and Derek wiped the mess away as he chuckled softly.

 

“I’m glad you think it’s funny,” Spencer grumbled as he shifted Loretta so she was next to his right breast.

 

“Lorie thinks it’s funny too,” Derek teased as he cleaned the last of the mess up.

 

Spencer looked down at his daughter in surprise and, sure enough, she seemed to be wearing a large, toothless grin. Spencer huffed and rolled his eyes. “That’s just gas,” he defended as Loretta nuzzled up to Spencer’s chest like she had on the other side.

 

“You think what you want to think,” Derek said with another chuckle as he watched his daughter get ready to feed once more. “And I’ll think what I want to think.”

 

Spencer huffed again but didn’t answer as he shifted in order to poke the tip of his nipple to the corner of Loretta’s mouth. Like before, she almost immediately latched on and began drinking.

 

“Well, it looks like you’ve got this in the bag,” Nathan said proudly from where he stood. “I’m going to go and leave you to it. Don’t worry if you start to notice your breasts decreasing in size as she feeds. That’s normal since male mothers, especially Category Qs like yourself, have mainly milk in their breasts instead of both milk _and_ fat. Once she gets done with that breast, burp her and try to get her to latch on the other side once more. When she’s all finished, if you have no more milk and she still seems hungry, just page a nurse to bring a bottle and finish feeding her that way. By tomorrow, your body should be producing enough to do a full feeding at least two times a day. Any questions?”

 

Both Spencer and Derek shook their heads ‘no’ but went almost immediately back to watching their baby suckle and grunt happily as she clenched and unclenched her fist against Spencer’s chest.

 

Nathan just nodded and left the room without another word, understanding that the first breastfeeding was a very special time for new parents and a bonding experience that should be interrupted as little as possible.

 

As soon as the specialist left the room, Spencer sighed and relaxed even more back into Derek, completely content in his current position.

 

Derek tightened his grip around his lover and daughter, cradling them both to make sure that Spencer didn’t drop the baby as he slowly fell asleep in Derek’s arms. Derek leaned back slightly into the pillows behind him, careful not to disturb Spencer or Loretta, and smiled at the thought that he was holding his entire world in his arms… and he loved it.


	11. Yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, last chapter! Sorry it took me so long to post but I hope it was worth the wait :) There WILL be a sequel but it may take me a little bit to get it together (I also want to pay some attention to my other stories that I've ignored for too long lol). Comments, suggestions, etc. are always appreciated! And thanks for sticking with me :D

When Loretta had finally finished feeding, having not needed a bottle to supplement what she’d gotten from mother’s milk after all, Spencer burped her (remembering a burp cloth this time) and then covered himself up. He sighed, not wanting to move from his position of laying against Derek’s chest, but he knew that the rest of the team was probably still waiting outside the door and wanting to come in.

 

Derek seemed to have read his mind because he kissed the side of Spencer’s head and said, “I’d better get up and tell them it’s ok to come in.” He then shifted himself so he could get off the bed and held his arms out for Loretta so Spencer could reposition himself against the head of the bed.

 

Still holding Loretta, who was lightly dozing in his arms, Derek made his way to the door to let in the rest of their family. “Hey guys, you can come in now,” he said softly as to not disturb the tiny baby in his arms.

 

The five remaining members of the team all looked at Derek with smiles on their faces and then followed him into the hospital room. Garcia immediately went over to Spencer and said, “I am _so_ sorry I scared you and your precious baby and took what was probably a _really_ inappropriate picture and I will _totally_ delete it if you want me to. I was just excited and I thought the scene was absolutely _adorable_ and –”

 

“Garcia, its ok,” Spencer interrupted, a small smile gracing his features. “Don’t delete the picture… just make sure I have a copy… and don’t show it to anyone else outside of the team, ok?”

 

Garcia laughed and bent down to kiss Spencer on the forehead, leaving a slight lipstick stain as evidence of her action. “You got it, boy genius!”

 

Spencer smiled a little wider but before he could say anything in response, a question from across the room wiped the smile off his face and made his blood run cold.

 

“So what did your mom say about this whole situation?” Emily asked Derek, a smirk on her face and humor lighting up her eyes.

 

“Oh my god, Derek!” Spencer exclaimed, startling everyone in the room, including Loretta who fussed and squirmed in Derek’s arms, very disgruntled at being woken from her peaceful slumber. “What are you going to tell your mother? I mean, have you even told her that we’re living together?! And, oh lord, what am I going to tell _my_ mom? She’s going to be so _upset_!”

 

“Baby boy, it’s alright,” Derek soothed as he walked over to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, continually bouncing Loretta in his arms to calm her down as well. “Yes, I told her we’d moved in together and I’m sure she’s going to be over the moon about having a granddaughter, no matter _how_ unexpected it was. And, I’m sure _your_ mom will handle the news just fine as well. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Spencer nodded but still looked beyond nervous at the prospect of trying to explain to not only his own mom but Derek’s mom as well how he could have three doctorate degrees and still not realize he was pregnant until he was giving birth.

 

Derek sighed but kept the loving smile on his face. “Here, you take Lorie and I’ll step out and call my mom,” he said, gently handing the mostly calm baby over to his boyfriend who, despite his nervousness, reached for Loretta with steady hands. “We’ll worry about telling your mom later, ok?”

 

Spencer visibly relaxed as he held his newborn to his chest. He realized that telling his own mother would probably take more patience and finesse than he was capable of dishing out at the moment so he was grateful for Derek’s suggestion. Also, he was extremely glad that Derek had apparently decided to explain things to his _own_ mother without Spencer being in on the conversation as well, thus sparing Spencer from having to splutter out excuses and reasons for having been so oblivious.

 

Derek smiled widely and leaned over to plant a chaste kiss on Spencer’s lips before he got up off the bed. “This may take a while, but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone and walked out the door into the hallway.

 

Spencer sighed and leaned further back into the pillows behind him.

 

“You forgot about telling your and Morgan’s mothers?” Emily asked incredulously, effectively breaking up the silence that had fallen over the room in Derek’s absence.

 

Spencer shot a glare over at Emily and responded, “ _You_ try having the day I just had and still remember every little detail.”

 

The rest of the room laughed at that, making Emily blush slightly and Spencer smirk.

 

“I think we forget sometimes that you’re only human,” Rossi said as he stepped forward, a wide grin on his face. “Now, I’ve been waiting all evening. May I please hold your precious _bambina_?”

 

Spencer’s eyes grew wide as Rossi held his arms out, but then he smiled and carefully handed the baby over. He had never figured Rossi as the type who would enjoy holding babies, but, as Spencer watched the older man’s eyes light up with joy at the small bundle now nestled in his arms, Spencer knew he’d been wrong.

 

And it wasn’t just Rossi being affected. The whole team seemed to be absolutely enamored over the baby who was just a few hours old. The sight of new life seemed to be revitalizing and it just _fascinated_ Spencer. He’d always been wary of children and, until Henry was born, never really spent a lot of time around them. The birth of Henry had taught Spencer that babies could bring immense joy to people, but also great sadness, frustration, worry, and whole host of other negative emotions.

 

When Spencer found out that he would probably never have children of his own, a part of him had died inside, yes, but another part said it was probably all for the best. He’d never been very good at handling emotional situations and maybe it was just best if he remained _just_ a godfather and nothing more. But, now here he was… a parent to a newborn he hadn’t known was coming until the last minute… and it scared the _Hell_ out of him!

 

But, even though he was scared, as he watched his tiny daughter being passed around amongst some of the people who meant the world to Spencer, and as he reflected on what Loretta was already making he _himself_ feel, he knew that everything was going to be alright. Yes, there would be ups and downs, good times and bad times, but… with the support system that Spencer had in his life at this moment… he knew he would make it through.

 

He finally concluded that, even with the stress and pain and worry, this was one of the best days he’d ever had in his entire life. Spencer smiled widely at that thought. Good days, let alone _fantastic_ days, were hard to come by in his life. But right now, he honestly didn’t know how this day could _possibly_ get any better.

 

* * *

 

 

Derek had stepped out of the hospital room, but not solely to call his mother. He had a very important errand to run and he just _prayed_ that there would still be a shop open this late that would sell him what he needed.

 

So he quickly rushed down the hall and into a stairwell, not being patient enough to wait for an elevator. As he made his way down to the ground level and outside of the hospital, he dialed his mother’s number and held the phone to his ear.

 

“ _Derek?”_ Frank Morgan answered after two rings, sounding slightly worried. “ _Is something wrong? You_ never _call me in the middle of the week.”_

 

Derek chuckled as he tried to hail a cab, figuring that the mall would be his best bet for finding what he wanted. “Nothing’s wrong, Momma,” Derek answered, climbing into the cab and directing the driver to his destination. “But I do have a surprise.”

 

“ _A surprise?”_ Fran said skeptically, unsure as to her son’s intentions. “ _What_ kind _of surprise?”_

 

Derek blew out a breath and laughed nervously. “Well, uh, do you remember me mentioning that Spencer hadn’t been feeling too good for a while now? It uh – It turns out that he was – well, _pregnant_.”

 

“ _Spencer is_ pregnant _?!_ ” Fran screeched in Derek’s ear, sounding eerily similar to Garcia when she got excited. “ _Oh my_ god _, Derek, that’s_ wonderful _news! Oh, how far along is he? When is the baby due? Come on, tell me_ everything _!”_

 

Derek paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, hoping that his mother would still be excited after his next words. “Well, Mom… the thing is, uh – well, he already _had_ the baby… earlier today… he was, uh… he was pregnant for 8 months and didn’t realize it until he went into labor today.”

 

All that answered Derek over the phone was silence. After almost a minute, however, Derek hesitantly said, “Mom? You still there?”

 

“ _Derek Morgan, is this some kind of joke?”_ Fran finally asked, her voice hard as she tried to deduce if her son was playing tricks on her or not.

 

“Mom, no,” Derek answered immediately, his voice the epitome of seriousness. “Believe me, I was as surprised as you probably are when I walked into the hospital and they lead me up to the maternity ward. Spencer was shocked too… I don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen him so scared and worried before.”

 

Derek then sighed and a small smile formed on his lips as his voice took on a softer tone. “But, Momma… the baby… _our_ baby… she’s just _beautiful!_ And Spencer… my sweet, loving, selfless Spencer… he named her Loretta Michelle.”

 

Fran audibly gasped over the phone, now absolutely certain that Derek was indeed telling the truth. “ _You wouldn’t joke about something like that,”_ she said softly but then suddenly let out a high-pitched excited scream, causing Derek to have to hold the phone away from his ear. “ _Oh my god, I’m a_ grandmother _! Ok,_ you _need to send me_ tons _of pictures of my beautiful grandbaby. No, wait! I’ll just come_ there _! That’s perfect! Derek, I will let you know when my flight leaves and –”_

 

“Momma, wait,” Derek interrupted as the cab pulled up to the mall’s front entrance and Derek got out. He paid the driver and then rushed into the building, heading directly for the nearest jewelry shop.

 

“ _What is it, Derek?”_ Fran asked impatiently and Derek could hear rustling sounds in the background telling him that she’d already started packing. “ _Don’t tell me not to come! I won’t be an imposition, I promise.”_

 

“No, it’s not that, Momma,” Derek answered, breathing out a sigh of relief when the shop came into sight and Derek saw that it was still open. “I just wanted to tell you that… well, I’m uh… I’m going to ask Spencer to marry me.”

 

“ _Derek, that’s_ fantastic _!”_ Fran gushed, he voice thickening with emotion. “ _Oh, you’d better not have any_ more _good news for me because I don’t think I could_ handle _it! Ok, I’m going to hang up so I can pack and get the absolute_ first _flight out possible! I love you so much! And give my love to Spencer and that miracle grandbaby of mine!”_

 

Without waiting for Derek to respond, Fran hung up the phone. Derek pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at the screen, laughing to himself and shaking his head. He should have known that his mother would react like that.

 

As he stepped up to the glass counter in front of him, however, all thoughts of his mom were wiped from his brain. Derek looked down at the beautiful gold and silver jewelry laid out before him, almost everything inlaid with a precious gem of some sort, and took a deep breath. This was a huge step… but then he smiled when he realized he wasn’t scared. He was excited and nervous, yes… but he wasn’t _scared_.

 

“Can I help you, sir?” Derek heard as a young woman stepped up on the other side of the counter, a bright smile on her face.

 

Derek let out a breath and answered, “Yes, I’d like to look at engagement rings.”

 

* * *

 

 

Spencer chewed on his bottom lip nervously. Derek had been gone a long time and Spencer was unsure as to what to do with himself. He’d already opened the gifts that the team had brought for him and Loretta and given thanks all around. He’d answered what felt like 100 questions from everyone about anything and everything. He’d passed Loretta around until she’d gotten fed up and started kicking and screaming until Spencer took her back and calmed her down once more. Now, everyone was just sitting around… watching him… and he really didn’t know what to do.

 

“Um… could uh… could someone look to see if Derek’s still in the hallway?” he stuttered out softly, not quite meeting anyone’s eyes. He didn’t want to seem rude, but he _really_ hated all of the attention.

 

“Aww, are you worried that your Chocolate Thunder is getting ripped a new one by his mommy?” Garcia asked, a smirk on her face.

 

Spencer blushed and hung his head, his grip around Loretta tightening. He _was_ afraid that maybe Derek’s mother had taken the news badly, but Spencer was ashamed to admit that there was a deeper fear involved as well. Even though Spencer knew that Derek loved him, he was still terrified that one day, Derek would just walk out and never come back and that Spencer would be left all alone. So, he clutched to Loretta like she was his only lifeline, and he didn’t answer Garcia’s teasing question.

 

“I’ll go check, Reid,” Emily offered as she reached over and patted his foot through the blankets. Just as she got up from her chair, however, the hospital door opened to reveal the man of the hour. “Well, speak of the Devil,” Emily said good-naturedly, smirking as she sat back down in her chair.

 

"Derek!" Spencer exclaimed happily, looking up with a wide smile on his face. “What happened? I was beginning to worry.”

 

“I didn’t mean to worry you, baby boy,” Derek answered as he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, leaning forward to kiss Spencer gently. “Momma was surprised, but happy. She insisted on visiting for a while.”

 

Spencer nodded but then cocked his head in confusion. “If everything went well, what took you so long?”

 

Derek smiled softly and reached out to take Loretta from Spencer. He then got up and walked over to the bassinette in the corner. After he gently laid her down, he came back over and sat on the edge of the bed once more and grabbed one of Spencer’s hands, bringing it up to his mouth to plant a small kiss on the back of it. “I went on another errand while I was out,” Derek said quietly, keeping his eyes locked with Spencer’s.

 

Spencer crinkled his eyebrows, trying to think what on _Earth_ Derek could have wanted to accomplish this late in the evening. “Ok?” he said, his voice trailing off into a question.

 

Derek let out a little laugh and then took a deep breath. “Spencer, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but I guess it just took a shock for me to finally get my rear in gear. I realize that we’ve only been dating for a year and a half, but we met and got to know one another years before we started seeing each other romantically… and I personally feel like I’ve known you for my entire life. You’re such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine going even one day without you.”

 

Derek then reached into his pocket and pulled out the black velvet jewelry case, flipping it open to reveal a ring with a white gold band, a small diamond encircled with tiny rubies decorating the top. “Spencer, will you do the honor of marrying me?”

 

Spencer’s eyes went wide and he just froze, various emotions, ranging from shock to terror to immense joy, playing over his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he cleared his throat and stuttered out in a hoarse voice, “I… I-I uh… I’m… You… A-Are you _sure?_ I-I mean… I’m, well… I’m _me_ … How –”

 

“Baby boy, I have never been _more_ sure of _anything_ in my entire life,” Derek said firmly, giving a gentle squeeze to the hand he was still holding. ‘ _Typical Spencer,’_ Derek thought sadly as he continued to watch the emotions run over Spencer’s expressive face. ‘ _Leave it to him to make sure I know what I’m getting myself into.’_ Derek sighed and brought Spencer’s hand up to his lips once more. “Spencer, you bring such joy into my life. You are an absolutely _amazing_ human being and I really wish you could see that, and have more confidence in yourself. But my mind is made up. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You… and now Loretta as well… you both make my life complete… and I _never_ want to be without _either_ of you.”

 

Spencer’s lower lip started to quiver at Derek’s heartfelt words and a single tear ran down his face. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice wavering violently. Then, without a second thought, he threw himself forward into Derek’s arms, burying his face in Derek’s neck and only vaguely aware of the soreness in his body that the sudden movement had awakened. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” he said as he started to sob happily, his lips mouthing over the warm skin of Derek’s neck.

 

Derek smiled widely and hugged Spencer back tightly, laughing out loud when he heard the rest of the team applauding and cat-calling behind him. He felt Spencer try to pull away, probably embarrassed over the spectacle he was making in front of their friends, but Derek’s arms held firm, one hand rubbing up and down Spencer’s spine as Spencer attempted to control his breathing.

 

When he finally stopped crying, Spencer leaned back out of Derek’s embrace and wiped his hands over his face and eyes. “Sorry,” he whispered and looked away as he sniffed loudly.

 

“Don’t ever be sorry for showing your emotions,” Derek answered gently and reached over to cup Spencer’s face in one of his hands.

 

Spencer smiled happily and rubbed his cheek slightly into the soothing gesture as he closed his eyes and soaked up the love he could feel emanating from Derek. He opened his eyes in confusion a moment later, however, when Derek moved his hand away from Spencer’s face and grabbed Spencer’s left hand.

 

Spencer’s breath hitched and started coming faster when he realized that Derek was taking the ring out of the box and gently sliding it onto his finger. “It’s beautiful,” he sobbed out as he again dissolved into tears.

 

Derek chuckled and gathered Spencer up in his arms once more, lovingly placing a kiss on the top of Spencer’s head and then nuzzling his nose into Spencer’s long, brown hair. Neither man moved, however, when the sounds of movement came from the rest of the room.

 

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Hotch said and walked forward to place a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I want both of to take some time off. We’ll talk about it later. And congratulations.”

 

Derek just smiled and softly gave his thanks, refusing to release his hold on his new fiancé. As the rest of the team members gave their congratulations and left the room, Derek just felt his heart swell with love and appreciation for the man in his arms and the recent events that had made him feel so complete.

 

“I was wrong,” Spencer whispered into Derek’s shoulder, happy tears still streaming down his face.

 

“What’s that?” Derek asked, confused at Spencer’s statement.

 

“I thought that today couldn’t get any better,” Spencer answered as he pulled away enough to look into Derek’s eyes. “I was wrong.”

 

Derek just smiled widely and combed his fingers through Spencer’s hair. Then he gripped his hand and pulled the love of his life in for a heart-stopping kiss, knowing that this was just the beginning of the beautiful life that they were going to build together.


End file.
